Runaway
by barspace
Summary: Lio runs from her home in High Rock and makes her way towards Solstheim on the Skinny Horker. On the way her ship gets wrecked and Lio finds herself in the harsh province called Skyrim. (NB! Includes characters from the Interesting NPC-s mod by Kris Takahashi, main guy is Gorr, maybe Rumarin)
1. Chapter 1

**Hello!**

**This is my first fanfiction, but not my first story. I absolutely love the Elder Scroll series, but Skyrim is my favourite. Especially if it's modded and has some interesting NPC-s in it *wink*While I was playing I always felt the need to write Lio's story down, so that's how all this started. A big thanks to the creator of Interesting NPCs, Kris Takahashi! His mod is probably the best out there, a total must have!  
I hope it's readable! I'm not a native speaker, so there could be mistakes, I hope you'll forgive me.  
**

**Do help me improve and review! I'm always grateful for any tips to improve my language! I hope at least _some_ will find this okay lol**

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**Update 26.03.2015**

**Due to a new school and many projects I haven't been able to write for a very long time. As a bit of an apology I've been correcting the chapters I already have online. Once summer comes I'll have new chapters up! Sorry again for the loooong delay! :)**

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1.

Lio never had to think of consequences.

She never had to do anything for herself.

Being the daughter of a rich Breton noble had caused her life to be somewhat different from the others'.

Never was she seen guilty in anything and never did she have to think for herself. People around her worked their hardest to make her dreams come true. Everything she wanted was brought to her on a silver platter. No, scratch that. Everything was brought to her on a golden, jeweled platter.

Lio could only be seen at parties. Her dresses were brilliant and glimmering, made from beautiful silks, her golden jewelry far from modest and shoes made of top quality leather and soft fabrics. Her hair was crowned with the most beautiful stones and her nails were polished to perfect shapes.

She often stayed quiet by his father's side, but she could sometimes be seen mingling. Her smile made the parties shine, as if she was the sun. Lio was loved and feared. Her life was near perfect.

At least this is how it seemed for others. For them it sounded like her life was just flowers and taffy. For the girl herself it was far from it. For her, this life of her's was the most dreadful thing she could imagine on Nirn.

Only the inner circle of her family and acquaintances knew what it was really like. As a rich aristocrat's daughter her life had never been too fun. She was always studying, always forced to stay locked away in her room in their manor in the city of Jehenna. The most Lio had seen of the real life in the city had been through her stained windows, blurred and unfocused.

She was commanded to be docile. Any emotions except shyness and happiness were never to appear on her face or through her actions. If she did or said something wrong a beating from her nannies to any other part but her face was to follow. No one had seen the bruises under the long-sleeved dresses.

She was never alone and the constant commanding yammering of the maids and nannies hired to take care of her drove her mad every day. Her dreams, in reality, were nothing of importance. All that mattered were her father's wishes. The golden, jeweled platters were locked away in her father's trophy cabinet, where she could never touch them.

The only ever times she had a chance to go outside were by his father's side. At those times she was just a decoration on his right hand, something everyone around could praise and talk about.

"Oh, what a lovely dress your daughter is wearing today, Moricyan," the ladies used to coo. Lio would just flash a smile like she was told to, and walked along on Moricyan's side without a single complaint.

So, one day Lio got enough. She planned her escape carefully for months, reading books about foreign lands and independent living in secret at night, and by the time she got 20, she stole everything from his father's safe and made haste out of their house with all the jewelry, gold coins, gemstones and the clothes on her back. She took the first ship at the port, an old sloop named the Skinny Horker, to make the trip from High Rock to her new home.

No one had noticed her escape due to her feigning illness the evening before and the ship set sail with her nervously sitting in her own private cabin. A single sapphire ring was enough to make the Nord captain offer her private quarters.

It wasn't much, as there was only a lousy, hard and smelly bed, a shabby table, a candle, a chest, and the "Biography of Barenziah, v1". She had seen the book in her now previous home many times, but had never gotten around to it. All her time was spent on playing the flute and learning about culture, history, family business and music.

Lio had decided that a small island in Morrowind called Solstheim was a good place to start a new life. Living on Solstheim was a good option as she needed to stay hidden from his father. Life there didn't seem as difficult as living far away in a remote place, where, even though alone, she would have to forage and hunt for food and be all by herself. A life in Solstheim wasn't as attention pulling as living in a big city, where word of her presence would travel back to High Rock quickly. Lio knew the people of Solstheim were probably very unwelcome of strangers and she would be a loner, but at least then none would know her identity and word of her whereabouts wouldn't spread.

Solstheim's climate was fair enough and she wasn't against the monotone look the whole island had due to the ash from the Red Mountain's eruption. The biggest town had seemed decent enough from all the descriptions she could find in books. Lio decided that it was quite the ideal place for her to settle down on her own and finally be independent.

The captain had said that it would take many days to reach Solstheim. They would pass by Skyrim and he mentioned there would be a big chance that they might even dock for a while there. The cold and rocky land of Skyrim didn't seem not one bit interesting to Lio and she shrugged when she was asked if she would want to take shore leave. The temperatures were one thing, but the constant snow in the northern areas, which was even worse than it was in Jehenna, was another thing. Snow might've been beautiful in paintings, but in reality it made Lio shudder with disgust.

The captain offered her food and allowed her to freely walk around the ship. The first day had been fun as the crew, made of only men, was quite welcoming to a young woman. She felt free for the first time in a long-long while. The old men made her laugh and some even showed her the ropes of a sailor's job.

The only major flaw Lio found in her trip so far was the food. She endured the dirtiness and seasickness well enough, but the ship's meals were on a whole other level. Lio was used to the food Moricyan's private cook used to make. The ship's cuisine tasted and looked plain. It seemed like the only ingredients aboard were potatoes, tomatoes and salt. The food's only redeeming feature was the fact that the menu consisted of three different culture's recipes. Keeping back bile at all times, she forced the food down as to not starve completely.

The second day hadn't been as fun as the first. The crew hadn't been as warm to her as before and most seemed too busy with sailing and rigging to talk to her. The captain was still as joyful as ever and didn't mind her sitting at the ship's point. The air was cold and the sea was restless.

"I was hoping for calm waters this time around, but it seems I picked a very bad time to travel to Morrowind. I'm betting there will be some snowstorms near Skyrim," the captain told Lio once, a lazy smile plastered on his face. She leaned over the wooden rail and tried to reach to touch the surface of the water.

"Ooh, better not do that, miss. Beneath those waves swim the slaughterfish, who are praying on everything that moves above," the captain said and Lio recoiled. The old man laughed and some of the crew snickered.

"Stop laughing," she mumbled, her face red, and they did as told.

"Yes, yes," the captain said and hummed a tune that was barely hearable over the sound of the ship going against the waves.

At nights Lio kept reading the biography. She saw somewhat of a similarity between her and Barenziah. Both were daughters of nobles. Both left their home, voluntarily or not. The book helped find some sleep. She had slept during the first night, but as the height of the waves increased, her time of sleeping decreased. On some nights she couldn't stop herself and let out everything she had eaten during the day.

Lio's first sailing experience had a good start, but gradually got worse. Even food lost its little appeal for the spoiled young Lio.

During the day she enjoyed her newfound liberty of speech and spoke her mind bashfully whenever she saw fit. It was as if the locks to her mouth had been broken off and she could breathe for the first time. When she was little, she used to talk to herself in her room, but now she had the captain and crew to talk to and oh, how she loved it.

She talked about everything. Her emotions, her memories, her dislikes, her likes, everything she could think of. When she liked something, she said it. When she didn't like something, she made some noise. When the older men were talking about something she knew about, she had to voice her thoughts. Lio took her chance and made most of it.

When the third day rolled around the crew didn't say much anymore. The moment Lio stepped on the deck, a heavy silence fell. The captain only answered her questions with mumbles and the others didn't really seem to notice her, even if she was almost screaming.

"Why aren't you working? I'd really like to get off this boat sooner," Lio said to one of the grey-haired men, who was sitting in front of his rigging station, doing nothing but picking at some cheese.

"He has to eat sometimes, Lio," the captain frowned. Lio noticed the missing title from her name and couldn't help but scoff.

"I pay you in such amounts that couldn't even dream of. Don't treat me like that," she said with a small amount of anger in her voice, stepping closer to the captain, who was nonplussed by her words.

"Money isn't the problem here. This is still, last time I checked, _my ship_. You will respect us and keep your mouth shut." The friendly captain had suddenly turned into someone completely different. Lio was appalled and jerked back slightly, her eyes narrow.

"Scum," she grumbled quietly, turned around and marched down to her cabin. She slammed the door shut and puffed the air out of her lungs.

Lio didn't understand what had happened in the few days to make the crew hostile towards her. All she had done was speak to them. Conversing didn't seem like a bad thing.

Lio knew she probably wasn't going to get much food from the crew that night and decided to let all her emotions out like a small child: Lio cried. She cried for hours and beat her already flat pillow more until the feathers started to fly out of it.

"What do you have against me?" she mumbled through her sobs. No one answered her except for the quiet noise the ship made when it met with more waves.

"Miss Lio?" a quiet voice asked. Her head jolted up from sleep. Lio's face was a mess and she rubbed it quickly with the sleeve of her fancy blouse.

"What do you want?" she mumbled in a grumpy tone.

"Here, the last of the dinner," the captain said and put a plate on the table. The lousy leftovers presented to the girl made her stomach turn.

"Listen... I have to tell you the truth. Since you talked almost about everything that has happened in your life, I get that you've never been allowed to express your thoughts. I get it that you've been locked up, beaten and commanded to do things not your way, but your father's. But... you act like a spoiled brat. You command us around like it's your job. It's not. We try to be kind and listen to you, but it gets annoying. If it continues this way all through the trip, I'm sure none of us can take it. You need to learn to keep your emotions in check and your mouth shut, or else the ship will make its way to Solstheim without you," he said nonchalantly, while Lio's eyebrows kept rising higher and higher in embarrassment, surprise and disgust.

"What do you mean? I... I don't act like a spoiled... What..." she cut in, stuttering, her voice high of embarrassment.

"Captain! Come to the deck!" a panicked voice yelled from the deck and the captain hurried out of the room, leaving Lio mumbling by herself.

The sloop was rocking heavily and things were starting to shift out of place. The plate fell off the table and shattered, but Lio ignored it. It seemed far away. She was dumbfounded and speechless. Her eyes stared into emptiness as she tried to process what she'd heard.

No one had told her something as rude before. She had been scolded by her father and nannies in the past, but she had never been called spoilt or a brat. Lio had only received compliments that she's a very adult-like young girl, too mature for her age. The things the captain had accused her of seemed like nonsense. She was a passenger and she had the right to complain. The crew had never exactly seemed _nice. _They had reminded the girl of the older men in the town, who wanted to marry her for her father's connections and money.

Talking about everything interesting one thought about had always been one of the basics in mingling. It seemed to her like they were the ones who had no social skills, had no idea how to act in the company of noble women.

She understood then.

These men weren't raised in the company of anyone noble. These were the best examples of people outside of the manor walls. So this was the real world. This was how it really worked. Nothing was sugarcoated like it was in Jehenna. Poor people, the ones who had seen life in its' true ways, didn't care about what some noble's daughter had to say. They didn't care about her story. They didn't take the ramblings of some spoilt brat.

None of the nobles ever said anything when she threw a tantrum, but for the people suffering outside of the fancy walls of a big mansion a few words were sufficient. They put things into order as they saw right. They had no mercy for kids like Lio and she realized it all too well. How she had seen the world in such a naive light shocked her.

Making do in a foreign land seemed suddenly a lot harder than it had when she had planned her escape back at home.

"I'm not saying a word to anyone again," she whispered and fell back to bed, falling into a restless slumber, and feeling out of this realm. Not even the waves could disturb her overtired sleep.

Salt was in the air. Lio's skin felt sticky. Pearls of sweat rolled down her forehead, tickling a bit. Her skin itched and breathing felt difficult. She struggled in her sleep, turning around and mumbling restlessly.

She heard loud noises and splashes in the back of her mind, but couldn't pinpoint their origin. It seemed far away and unimportant. She heard yelling and saw some men running across her view in a hazy dream. Everything was wet, the smell of mold and salt was heavy in the air, and suddenly she was out of breath.

Lio jumped awake on her bed. She coughed heavily and slowly opened her eyes, seeing why she had felt so bad. Knee-deep water splashed around in her cabin and everything was soaked, including her. Her bed was in the water and some had gotten in her mouth. She had breathed it in and it had caused her to choke.

Frantic yells could be heard from the deck and the ship was rocking too hard for Lio to stand up. A storm was causing havoc outside and Lio would have emptied her bowels if she'd eaten something the day before.

"We're going down!" a voice suddenly shrieked through the rain and thunder.

"And I thought the fourth day couldn't get any worse than the one ones before..." she mumbled to herself and held on to her bed with all her might, pushing her long nails into the moldy wood. The sound of waves crashing against the boat and wood breaking under the pressure were enough to render her almost deaf. Cold water was numbing her toes and fingers.

"Hold on, boys!" the captain's roar thundered across the sea and the ship plummeted into something so hard that Lio's grasp on her bed slipped and she was thrown against a wall.


	2. Chapter 2

**Updated 05.04.15**

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2.

Lio coughed. And she coughed again until her lungs felt clear enough of salty water. She opened her eyes to the picture of her cabin upside down. She felt a bump on the side of her head and a sudden shock hit her, rendered her immobile.

The Skinny Horker had shipwrecked.

She was on the floor, or rather, the ceiling, with her back to the wall and the level of water already up to her chest. The silky and fancy noble clothes she wore were now useless, as they held no warmth and had been ruined by the salt and dirt.

Her skin had turned white in the cold water and she felt a small ache and numbness in her tired limbs.

Lio breathed. Most of her shock had passed and she roamed across her cabin to grab things floating in the water. She had to find the captain fast.

"Where are we...?" she mumbled, but a sudden fit of cough stopped her. The salt in her throat burned.

Lio took the now cabbage-like "Biography of Barenziah, v1" under her arm. She roamed to the upside-down chest and opened it.

For a moment Lio froze. Then she fell back in the water, covered her face with colorless hands and cried.

She had been left alone on the wreckage. There weren't any jewels in the chest; it had been emptied while she had been unconscious. There was no captain anymore, just her and her Biography.

Deep breaths brought Lio back. She wiped away the tears and forced down more sobs that desperately wanted to escape her chest. After grabbing a corundum ingot and some gold coins that had been left behind, she put on an iron helmet that had rolled in through the open door of her cabin. It reminded her of the ugly helmets the guard in Jehenna used to wear. Painful stabs of regret broke her down again. If she hadn't had left her home, she could still be safe and warm. After another long moment of breathing in and out, she inhaled and dived into the water leading out of her room.

The stairs that used to lead up and to the deck above it were now fully buried under the sand that covered the ocean floor. Lio swam in the opposite direction - towards the bottom of the ship.

Skinny Horker was a small sloop. If the ship had been completely underwater, there wouldn't have been any air to breathe. Land was close by. Either that or the Sea of Ghosts must have been very shallow. Lio prayed for the first guess to be true.

Some rooms were almost empty of water and she could stand up to take a breath. She grabbed most she could find on the way and stuffed them in the bag she had taken with her. She found a lot of soaked and now decomposing food, but some better preserved bottles of mead and cheese stored in some drawers too. It was all the food she had. A double-sided axe was in a chest and she tried swinging it around, mimicking the movements she had once seen the trainees at the barracks practice. The axe was nothing like a quill or a flute, but more like a whole cupboard. How could anyone work with things like these? After a reconsideration she took it with her, reminding herself of the many dangers in the world.

She needed armor too. Rusty iron gauntlets from an upside down cupboard were put to use. Lio put on a tan foul-smelling belted tunic she found, which in fact was one of the ugliest clothes she had worn in her life. The tunic was woolen, heavy and clumsy, half soaked in the sea water. The style in Jehenna had been more to her taste and Skyrim's poorer clothing was not something she had ever imagined herself wearing. Her old self would never had fallen that low. Things had changed quickly.

After a bit of exploring and rummaging, she was reaching the bottom of the ship. Turning a corner, she found lots of crates piled up and broken wooden boards put on them for climbing to the very bottom of the ship.

"So, I was right. They survived... " she mumbled, sighed and tore her helmet off. Her vision became blurry, but crying and swallowing hurt and she tried to stop herself. Lio's stomach cramped as she cried a noiseless, tearless cry. Her skin was dirty, painful and miserable. The bump on her head hurt and every time she stood up her vision blurred and a headache dulled her senses.

They had left Lio behind and during doing so they had robbed her clean. The fact was clear as day to her now and it broke her naïve heart. She was alone in the middle of the sea without anything, without anyone. Now she realized that the captain wasn't much different than the nobles she had despised back home – he had been friendly to her because of her money. Lio had annoyed them with her talking. She had made them tired of her, even hateful. She was guilty for all that had happened to her. Had she been less of a nuisance, they would have taken her with them. Definitely, she thought.

It was doubtful if the Skinny Horker had an emergency boat, and even if there once had been one, it wasn't there anymore.

A bare ache was scratching Lio's insides and her knees weakened. Her body shook with silent sobs. It was all too much. She had only just seen freedom, the real world, and it ended with her alone on a shipwreck. It ended with _her_ shipwrecked.

Finally, a quiet heart wrenching wail escaped her cracked lips. She pushed away dark strands of hair that stuck to her teary cheeks. She quivered in the cold, her hands cramped and her beautiful nails dug into her palms, leaving behind small and red marks. New, strange and painful feelings arose in her, made her delirious, desperate.

A foul smell reached Lio's nostrils and she woke up. She had cried herself to sleep, but still felt tired. The bump on her head didn't hurt anymore, but those weird feelings were still stabbing her insides like thousands of small needles. She slowly got up, the throbbing in her legs strong, and grabbed her bag.

Lio climbed the makeshift way to the bottom of the ship and gasped – a body was lying on the ground. It was emitting a rancid smell and Lio covered her face. Gradually, carefully she stepped closer to it, keeping low. Fear had almost clouded all the pain from before and she was almost thankful for the adrenaline. She turned the body over.

An unknown man turned to stare at her. His eyes were clouded and stared through her at the ceiling, a grimace of fear on his pale face. Lio recoiled, but pulled herself together and, while keeping her eyes from his face, she searched his body. He was a Redguard and was dressed accordingly in Hammerfell garbs. Lio had seen many of these clothes on envoys in Jehenna.

Jehenna…

Lio stopped her thoughts before they reached another dead end. She decided then – she was going to survive this. She couldn't surrender to those paralyzing and horrendous feelings. Pushing all thoughts of Jehenna and the crew out of her mind, she breathed in and willed herself to go on. She needed to learn how to be stronger than this.

The first thing she saw, a short and simple dagger, she grabbed and kept it close. A bundle of lockpicks and a tension wrench were on the Redguard's belt and Lio snapped them away. She knew what they were for. She had only picked a lock once in her life, when she had stolen some taffy from a locked cupboard in the kitchen. She had read a small guide she had found in one of her nanny's room, but none of it made much sense to her back then and she hadn't given much thought to it all. Now, reliving her memory of finding the book, she couldn't believe who Moricyan had been hiring to look after her. Lockpicks could be very handy.

After making sure the body had nothing else significant on it, Lio stepped away and walked to the farthest corner of the ship, still picking up mead and random objects lying around on the way. She took a deep breath and submerged into the water in the ship's point. Lio opened her eyes underwater – through the hazy and muddy waters she saw faint light glowing from straight ahead, through a hole in the bottom of the sloop. Smiling, she swam back.  
Lio took the time to think things over. She needed warmer clothes to live in Skyrim's weather. She had all of her noble clothes replaced except for her silky slippers. A revolting idea popped into her mind, but she saw no other way to get what she wanted, to she took a deep breath and pulled the Redguard's boots off, exposing his pale legs. An even more disgusting smell now came from the body and Lio jerked back, covering her face with her hand. She put on the disgusting boots, still wearing the slippers, and her toes cramped in them in disgust. A spark of warmth already spread in her legs now and she bore with the squishy and unfamiliar feeling inside the boots.

"Alright!" she shouted enthusiastically, suddenly feeling a lot better. After tying her bag around her shoulder and waist and doing a few sporty up and down jumps, Lio finally took a deep breath and dove into the water in front of her. She swam out of the broken hole in the ship's hull and made her direction the surface of the freezing water. The Sea of Ghosts, she thankfully realized, was shallow and the surface seemed not far away. The water was freezing and made her leg cramp. Her breath was short and the strength in her muscles was disappearing quickly, but then her outstretched hand felt different, almost weightless, and then her head and neck also emerged from the water. She flailed and gasped for breath and grabbed onto driftwood close by, upping herself on it.

The white horizon was lain out before her.

"So this… is Skyrim, huh?" her tattered mumble was lost as the sound of waves overwhelmed it. Lio trembled on the wood and gazed at the frozen land far away. Her lips slightly parted in fright. The nature was monotone and bleached; there weren't any flowers or trees in lush colors. She saw ancient towers high on the mountainsides; saw the tips of old of monuments on icy islands. The land was covered in black and white and it was like so from one point of the horizon to the other. A harsh and cold wind blew and the trees on the coast bent under its power. Snow was falling and Lio couldn't help but feel disgusted at the sight of it. All doubts about her whereabouts dissipated - this was definitely Skyrim.

Slowly she began paddling herself towards the far away coastline. Lio pulled down the sleeves of her many blouses and stuffed them into her gauntlet, but still her hands numbed. It was a long way to the beach and only adrenaline and shock kept her moving.

_The slaughterfish._

Lio pulled her hands from the water as if struck by something.

"Now what do I do?" she asked and looked at the looming water down below. Something was moving around in it, just as she had suspected.

"Slaughterfish, aye?" she mumbled and took meat from her bag. She dropped some in the water. The shadows in the water ascended and suddenly, thin and long jaws with rows of small razor-sharp teeth jumped out of the water, catching the meat. The fish's small and sharp eyes caught on to Lio's and she jolted, almost sliding off her shabby plank.

The tips of her new boots were in the water and she could feel someone nibbling on them. From time to time she felt a harsher pull downwards and she grasped at her plank even stronger. The fish were trying to get to her.

For some minutes Lio floated on the driftwood, the pulling and nibbling unbalancing her. She looked around in fear, a frown plastered on her features. She inhaled slowly and closed her eyes, forcing herself to think and do something about the situation. The grimace on her face disappeared. Grabbing the biography and axe from her bag, she rowed with them. .

It didn't take long until she saw another wreckage near the coast. The ship's point wasn't buried under sand and water and two masts, broken in half, were poking out of the sea. Lio saw a light near the ship's carcass.

A bonfire. No one seemed to be near it.

She paddled quicker until she felt her hands numb. Quietly she turned herself on the wood, dropped into chest-deep water and floated on her back, her limbs too tired to move much more. Letting the waves carry her, she finally felt ground under her back and closed her eyes in relief and in gratitude for solid ground.

Her breath was cut short by the knife on her neck.

"Who are you and where did you come from?" a rough voice asked and Lio opened her eyes to a haggard Argonian hovering above her.

He looked up further to the distance for a split second. "Are you one the survivors? Why are you here?" he hissed and pressed the knife even deeper against Lio's neck.

"I'm... A survivor! Lio… Let me go!" she yelled and in a sudden rush of adrenaline pushed the man's blade away from her neck.

"Who are _you_?" she yelled and raised a hand in front of her body in defense. She hid her dagger behind her back, unsure if she'd be able to use it even if necessary. The haggard looked at her, his full hazel eyes serious, and then straightened up. He took a few steps back and finally sat back on a collapsing chair. Lio hid the dagger in a pocket, releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in, and stepped closer to the shabby crate in front of the Argonian. There were jewels randomly laying around, a mug of ale and a coin purse on it.

Lio pulled her gaze from the gleaming jewels. She felt the haggard's eyes following her every move. They both had their guards up. The air was thick of intense wariness.

Lio stepped closer to the fire and the smell of the fish roasting above it reached her nostrils.

"I don't even know why I'm here," she said and the Argonian scoffed quietly.

"Am Deekus. You need something?" he said finally and watched Lio as she sat on another crate across the fire.

"Directions to the closest port. And food. Shelter wouldn't be too bad either. Clothes, and..."

"You talk too much," Deekus cut in suddenly, his arms folded. His cold look of wariness dissipated and was replaced with impatience, even annoyance. "I don't care."

"But you asked..."

"I _don't care_," he hissed and Lio frowned in confusion. She stared at a clawed trap in front of a locked chest behind her. Then she noticed a small box under a shelter that was also full of gems.

"You don't think you could give some of your treasure here to me? I'll make sure you're rewarded one day. I'm the daughter of a nobleman in Jehenna. He'll pay you," she lied, but Deekus didn't seem interested in the offer.

"If you don't shut your mouth you won't be able to use it ever again," he said instead, softly petting the side of an iron dagger he had taken out, and Lio sat still like a statue.

"Rich bastard..." she mumbled through gritted teeth.

"Be thankful I didn't kill you on the spot. I'm a kind soul, you see," Deekus said and Lio swallowed a retort. He continued, "It's late. You go sleep over there." He nodded at a spot on the beach away from the camp, away from the food and fire.

"And if I wake up tomorrow with my treasure gone, I'll come after you. This is _my _treasure, no one else's. _I _found this wreckage. _Mine_," he threatened, the light of the fire deepening his reptile-like features. Lio nodded and warmed herself and dried her belongings at the fire until Deekus started sharpening his dagger. She settled down quite far from the campsite between some frozen bushes. She made sure that he couldn't see her and crawled between her tunics. The cold crept through the tunics. Violent shudders shook her throughout. She wondered if she'd freeze to death during the night.

At first Lio couldn't sleep. It was too silent and she kept turning from side to side. Slowly she started noticing dim lights against her closed eyelids. The dark sky had turned clear and she turned to her back to see the space above Nirn filled with stars and waves of green and yellow colors. The lights danced slowly and she couldn't turn her gaze from it anymore.

The green long colors moved lazily across the starry sky and turned to yellow in a slow motion. It was beautiful, mesmerizing. The dance of the colors was frail, measured. She was in a trance, out of this realm, in her own one. Finally her tired mind got some rest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Updated 11.04.15**

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3.

"No!"

Lio woke from her cold slumber. She couldn't feel her toes, fingers or nose and most of her body was numb. The sky above was light blue and the sun had not yet risen. She slowly got up, shaking herself to get rid of the remainder of the ice in her bones. Suddenly all her motions stilled; she heard an unhuman snarl from the campsite. Lio climbed up some stones and peeked over the hard edge of another.

Big, grey-skinned, disgusting and fat animals roamed around Deekus' now messy camp.

"Horkers…" she mumbled and dry heaved when she saw a green, scaled body under a horker's large mass.

"No… He was my only way to get away from this gods forsaken land…" she whispered and fell on her knees. Her trembling hands were trying to grasp for the dagger and axe in her bag and once she got a shaky hold on them, she pressed them against herself. She peeked over the rock once more and counted three horkers, two more further away.

"I have to do this," she said in a hopeless try to encourage herself, and stepped out from behind the rock. She crouched down low and moved behind the leafless, frozen bushes. She grabbed a rock and then threw it with all her strength in the opposite direction of her and away from the camp. The horkers shrieked in anger. They turned their bodies towards the origin of sound and slowly started moving. They flapped their short front limbs and bellowed in weird tones.

Finally Lio made her way to the camp and swept the gems into her pockets. Staying clear of the body, she moved to the chest and found a trap that had been activated. Horker skin and blood was splattered everywhere and Lio once again had to overcome gagging.

A small lock was guarding the chest in front of her and her shaking fingers pulled out a budle of lockpicks and a wrench. Half of them fell on the ground and in panic she grabbed them sloppily together with some mud and put them on the chest. Her cold and inexperienced fingers struck the wrench and lockpick in the wrong way. She broke many lockpicks until the wrench seemed to be placed the right way. Lio turned the picks in many ways and most of the time they broke. Finally she turned the pick in a right position and turned the wrench clockwise until she heard a faint metallic click. For a fleeting moment she felt her lips almost turned up into a satisfied smile. The chest opened.

Lio threw the satchel of gold and green-colored potion from the chest into her bag. Without thought and in growing panic she took a statue of Dibella and tried to fit it in there too, but realized how stupid it was and placed it back to its position quietly. The roasted fish left behind by Deekus was wrapped in a cloth and thrown into the satchel instead.

She heard bellowing from not far away. The horkers were turning. Lio took hold of Deekus' strange, soft armor. She tried to pull the body of the Argonian away from the camp for what seemed like an eternity, but his body was heavy and her arms only kept cramping. Finally she rummaged through his pockets, finding nothing. In a panic she tore off his bloody and torn armor, a surprisingly light-weighted handiwork, and hurried away from the camp as quickly as her painful legs could carry her.

Stealing from the dead was something she never approved of. There had been grave robbers in Jehenna once and Lio had wished an even longer prison sentence for them than normal robbers. How could they violate a person's memory like that? How could they allow themselves to steal from someone who had already lost their life? It was disgusting and made Lio's stomach turn.  
But wasn't her life worth saving? she asked herself. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized she was betraying herself. Without armor, without any money death could be imminent in a land so strange and hostile. She had to swallow her sense of justice and ignore her regret.

Without a map or any sense of direction she passed through knee-deep sea and valleys between mountains. Old castle ruins were not a rare sight in Skyrim and she almost welcomed the thought of climbing up to one to make camp, but quickly erased it from her mind when she saw a figure standing on the walls of one such ruin high on the mountaintop. Lio could tell the silhouette of a bow in the figure's arms and that alone was enough to make her terrified. She kept low enough for the people high on the walls not to see her and crept along the shore.

There seemed to be no other dangers around. There were no horkers or notorious wolves that roamed Skyrim in packs, searching for the weak and lost. Her hands still gripped a dagger's hilt, trying to be ready for any scenario.

Once she found a small alcove in a mountainside she fell down, exhausted from the cold in her bones and the constant fear plaguing mind. She swapped her sweaty and dirty clothes for Deekus' armor. It was patched and layered, made of some black glass-like material and quality fabrics, dark blue in color and had a surprisingly noble look to it. The armor had a beige belt that could be set in many ways, making it suitable for both genders, although she had to roll up the sleeves many times. The many layers gave her warmth and nothing seemed better at that moment than comforting heat.

"I want to go home…" she mumbled after a break, but closed her mouth once she tasted iron. Her lips were dry and lacerated from the cold so much that talking hurt even through the numbness. Lio covered her mouth with the leather of her gauntlet, which quickly was imbued with blood, and she sighed.

She had no idea how long her aimless wandering would last. Her stomach was not used to starving and she quickly consumed most of the food in her bag. Dehydration was taking a toll on her body too. She pushed herself to continue, living only on the energy from food.

She shook and looked around in fear, repulsed by the cold and dull landscape in front of her. Waves were making cold, splashing sounds when it hit the coast and Lio shuddered. There was something on the shore far away, almost invisible. It was a tent, covered in furs that were painted white by snow.

Sudden relief struck her speechless. She packed her things and swiftly started running, seeing sleeping rolls in the tent already from far away. Lio couldn't even believe her luck and barked a laugh in happiness. She saw food and cups littered around the exit of the tent.

"Hello?" she hollered and looked inside. No one was there.

A hope remained inside of her that maybe the people who had been here were away somewhere nearby. Maybe they would come back. Lio looked around, searching for any signs of the strangers. Her breath hitched suddenly when she noticed familiar forms not far away on the shore.

Horkers were slowly moving around. Their fat bodies were turning slowly, looking for food.

Lio closed her eyes and sat on one of the sleeping rolls. She damned the horkers to Oblivion.

"Akatosh, Stendarr, Julianos, Arkay, Mara… Help me, _please_!" she mumbled through her bleeding lips and forced down tears.

She looked at the dagger in her hand. She had no idea how to handle any sorts of weapons, maybe except for petty kitchen knives. The dagger was too dull to make a cut in her frozen hand. There was no point in using it and she put it in her bag, taking out the axe instead. After swinging it in front of her randomly and almost hitting herself, she took it in both of her arms and stared at it closely.

"I've got to run for it," she decided and after a glance at the horkers' general direction, ran out of the tent in the opposite direction. They noticed her and she heard their disgusting roars in the background. Her numbed feet ached and didn't want to move, but she forced herself to move, to survive. Finally she fell down in the middle of two rocky cliffs, her legs unbearably painful and cold. The muscles in her legs cramped in the cold and it felt as if they were on fire. She couldn't move forward.

Fear made Lio look back and with relief she saw that the horkers were far behind. She let her head down in the snow and exhaled, blowing snow everywhere. She moved her feet; the cramps were slowly stopping and she pulled herself forward with her hands.

The cold wind from ahead carried sounds to her. Lio heard chattering from the other side of the small hill. She grabbed at the snow, pulling herself farther, until she saw the place she had been praying for – a small village. It wasn't far from her, just down the hill. She saw people working and scuffling around, doing their daily business. From the chimneys at the tops of the wooden houses rose smoke and she could almost imagine the warm rooms in there.

"Help!" she tried yelling, but her hoarse voice wasn't heard. Lio tried once more, but her throat was dry and her voice too quiet. None of the busy people noticed her lying in the snow, invisible.


	4. Chapter 4

**Updated 20.04.2015**

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4.

"You're finally waking up," a feminine voice whispered.

"Brina, I brought you the things you asked for before. Wait, who is this? Why is there a stranger here? Brina, are you listening to me?" another woman's stern voice inquired and scoffed.

"Shh," Brina answered and Lio felt someone's warm hand on her forehead.

Lio opened her eyes slowly, finding a middle aged light-skinned woman with strict features and long grey hair hovering above her. Her hand gently pushed Lio's messy, loose hair out of her face and Lio turned her head, finding herself in a warm room on a bed.

"Who?" Lio croaked.

"It's alright. No need to get up," the grey-haired woman whispered. Lio noticed another brunette woman in noble clothes and about the same age as the grey-haired one standing a bit further away in front of the room's closed door. The brunette looked as strict as the other woman, except her arms were crossed and her eyes narrowed, poorly veiling how annoyed she was.

"Brina, what is this all supposed to be?" she demanded and the corner of her mouth rose, making her look even more annoyed.

Brina took her hand from Lio's hair and offered her a steaming cup.

"Drink. You're dehydrated." When Lio didn't cooperate and only stared at the two women in fear, Brina added, "it's only tea." Lio gave in and drank the hot, weird-tasting liquid. Her throat and mouth went up in flames, but she ignored it.

"Where am I?"

"I'm Brina Merilis. That one there is my good friend Veralene Ashwood. You're in Windpeak inn, in Dawnstar. Don't worry, we won't hurt you," Brina murmured and pulled a fur on Lio that had fallen on the ground.

"Brina, answer me. What's going on?" Veralene demanded once more.

"Horik found her near Dawnstar, almost dead. She was cold and she was covered in blood and dirt. We took her here. I don't know why, but I've been taking care of her for some days now. You have my gratitude for the food and tea, Veralene. I'll pay you back sometime," Brina explained and handed Lio a bowl of hot stew. It was empty in quick moments – which surprised Lio, as she had never eaten anything that fast before - and Brina stepped out of the room to get a refill, letting the bedridden Lio peek at the dark and empty inn through the open door.

"There's no need for you to pay back, Brina. I'd rather see _her_ pay me back for all the good deeds you've done for her," Veralene scoffed and looked at Lio for a second with narrow, condescending eyes. The girl cowered under her presence and tried to look as invisible as possible under the layers of skins and furs that were laid over her. Lio snaked her hand out and searched for her bag and belongings, her heartbeat strong in her throat. She sighed with relief when her hand touched the familiar leather her bag was made of under the bed.

"I have some… gems and a bit of gold. Would they be good enough as compensation?" Lio stuttered and looked at Veralene with the most amicable smile she could muster. It wasn't her best smile; her lips didn't want to cooperate and trembled at the forced movements. Veralene scoffed once again.

"Do you really think you could pay us back just by throwing some coin and amethysts in our way? Hard labor is what will free you from your debt. Got it, you stupid little girl?"

Brina stepped into the room with a steaming bowl in her hand and threw an angry sideways look at her friend. A lute's soft tune sounded from the doorway.

"She hasn't even recovered yet and you're already commanding her to work," Brina said in a low voice, not turning to look at her friend, and gave the bowl of stew to Lio. Veralene rolled her eyes.

"She needs to pay back, is all," Veralene retorted and seemed to stare only at the wooden door frame next to her.

"What's your name?" Brina asked and put a bucket, a light purple bar of soap, and a towel next to Lio's bed.

"I am Lio, the daughter of Moricyan. Pleased to meet you," she said without thought like she was taught to from a young age. Brina's eyebrows rose and a pleased smile appeared on her thin lips, a reaction Lio had seen many times before. Lio could be extremely polite if she wanted to.

"That's where I know her from!" Veralene's voice sharply said, making Lio and Brina turn to look at her. Veralene's eyes widened and her mouth rounded.

"I knew this girl is familiar! Brina, put her hair into a quick bun!" Veralene ordered, excited. Brina looked at her with a confused frown, but did as asked and pulled Lio's hair together and twisted it behind her head, not very gently.

"Yes! You're Moricyan's daughter indeed! That face and that hairstyle, I know it!" Veralene shouted. Lio remembered how the nannies used to twist her dark hair into a neat bun each morning ever since she was a small child. The feeling of someone pulling your hair like that wasn't something Lio wanted to be reminded of.

"What in the name of Oblivion are you doing here? No, don't tell me... You ran away from home, didn't you, you little spoiled brat?" Veralene hissed and stepped towards Lio with an accusing finger pointed. Lio's jaw dropped. She frowned in shock– she hadn't expected to be recognized so early. She thought most of Skyrim's brutes hadn't even been in the presence of someone noble, let alone someone as noble and rich as Moricyan.

"No! Don't tell my father that I'm here, please!" she pleaded, pulled her hair free from Brina's grasp and put the stew away. Quickly she roamed to the other side of her bed to Veralene.

"I don't want to see him! I don't want that life!" Lio said, panic dripping into her voice. Veralene's upper lip twitched in disgust and an angry grimace formed on her face.

"Your family is wealthy! Your father is a _noble_! What is there to complain about? If I were your mother, you would get the beating of your life right here and right now, you pampered little horror! You're a grown woman and you _ran away from your home_?!" Veralene raised her hand to hit the girl, but Brina suddenly grabbed her friend's wrist, stopping motions.

"This is none of your business, Veralene. You are _not _her mother."

For a moment, Brina's words lingered between them. Then Veralene straightened up, jerking her hand free. A grimace of disgust appeared on her face as she turned her gaze to Lio.

"I swear I'll make this up to you! I'll work for you. I'll pay you with all I've got. I promise! Just let me stay," Lio said, forcing her voice to stay calm and calculated, and let her head down to hide the tears she could no longer suppress. Her shoulders shook in quiet sobs.

"Stupid child," Veralene spat and stormed out of the inn. Strangers quietly flocked to their room, but Brina shooed them away and closed the door.

"This isn't going to make me look any better in the Jarl's eyes, is it?" Brina murmured and covered her forehead with her hand.

"Does the Jarl have something against you?" Lio asked and sniffed. Veralene's words had been like sharp daggers that punctured her pride and confidence, but she had no time to mull over what just happened. Getting information about the land she had accidentally come to was of the utmost importance.

"I was in the legion. The Jarl, Skald the Elder, supports the Stormcloaks. Damned Ulfric. The Jarl's calling me a traitor," Brina hissed.

"I did hear that something was going on in Skyrim, but who's Ulfric? The Stormcloaks?" Lio asked, her voice more steady now. She trusted her hands not to shake to start eating again.

"Skyrim is at the brink of war. Ulfric and his army or followers or whatever you want to call them are the Stormcloaks. They stand for the worship of Talos and Skyrim's freedom, those fools. Ulfric won't be pleased until he stands in the position of Skyrim's high king."

Lio gasped in realization. "Oh, so it's because of the White Gold Concordat?"

Brina nodded.

"Not just that. He killed the last High King, Torygg, in Solitude and then, as the coward he is, fled back to Windhelm, his hold. It started the civil war in Skyrim. Ulfric hates almost all but Nords. "Skyrim belongs to the Nords" is one of the things those barbarians often yell. The Empire has no place in Skyrim in Ulfric's mind. It doesn't have a place on all of Nirn in his vision, for that matter."

Lio nodded and placed the empty bowl on a table. Brina smiled a weak but friendly smile, put the bowl away and filled the bucket full of steaming water for Lio.

"Clean yourself up. I have a plan for you, but I'll tell you later about it. My house is near the shore next to The Mortar and Pestle," she said and left the room.

Lio slowly got up and threw the warm skins aside. She took off the tunic she was wearing and looked at her body. Her toes and fingers were still moving. A suspicion rose in Lio: Brina must have had given her some healing potions when she was unconscious. Her toes surely wouldn't still move otherwise.

Bruises covered her. The ugly bluish marks stung and she winced. A sigh escaped Lio's lips.

The soap Brina had brought smelled lovely. "Lavender," she mumbled in delight.

Lio washed herself quickly so she wouldn't have to see the condition her body was in any longer. She washed off the salt, blood and dirt. After tying her messy brunette hair into two low buns she washed the bloody armor she had taken from Deekus' corpse.

She hesitated before stepping out of the closed door. Through it she could hear three women complaining. Lio could only make out that they were talking about nightmares. Once she opened the door, the inn went quiet. Everyone looked at her.

The inn had a small central hall. In the middle of it was a large fireplace, where a cozy fire was lit. Near the walls were tables and seats, platters and mugs and food already served. There were three rooms in the sides of the hall and at the hall's one end there was a bar, where the innkeeper stood, cleaning some mugs. There were people around the hall, sitting or standing, all of their eyes on the small Breton.

Their glares followed Lio as she walked through the inn in her armor and with her bag. No words were spoken, only whispers that didn't clearly reach her ears. She strolled outside and was greeted by the sharp, cold breeze.

Finding Brina's house wasn't hard. Lio's legs hurt and still weren't cooperating much, but she supported herself on some rails and pulled herself forward. The whole village looked dull and boring. Snow was falling. The sky was filled to the brim with its whiteness and it didn't seem to ever stop. She knocked on the wooden door and stepped into the comforting warmth of Brina's small house, which Lio would have rather called a shack.

"Take a seat. You look humane now, even pretty. That's good, now you won't scare Alesan if he sees you. All that dried blood and dirt covering you didn't make you look all that friendly," Brina said as she was stirring something in a pot near the fireplace. Stew _again. _Lio sat down and looked at the shabby house.

"Alesan?"

"A local kid. An orphan. Helps around the mines."

Lio yawned as she stretched out her cold and tender legs.

"You said you have a plan for me?" she asked and nodded thankfully when Brina offered her tea.

"Yes. I haven't talked to Veralene about it yet, but I'm sure she'll agree to it," Brina said and sat on the edge of her bed, body turned to look at Lio.

"To what?"

"To taking you with her to Helgen. She's from there, you see. She supports the Imperials in her city by giving produce from her farm to the men. I'm retired and don't have any jobs to offer you, but there are many jobs to be had in Helgen. You up to it?" Brina asked and looked at the girl with a soft smile.

"Well… Aren't you interested in how I got here? Or why I'm here? You're offering me a job without knowing me," Lio said doubtfully. She had noticed before that the villagers weren't _actually _afraid of her, just suspicious. She could've been a thief or a murderer, but they didn't really seem to bat an eye.

"I wasn't really that interested, since what could a girl like you do? You don't have strong arms to hold a weapon or calloused hands from fighting. You only had two dull blades on you that wouldn't cut through butter. And even if you stole the crystals and gold you have on you, I doubt you'll be able to steal here. I've been keeping an eye on you most of the time you've been here. Well, except for that moment I left you alone to wash. There wasn't much in your room anyway. As I said to Veralene, I don't even know why I took you under my care. But that's not what's important right now."

Lio understood the message. Brina didn't care what she had to say. No one really did. Lio sighed and bit on her lower lip to prevent saying something, but her need to explain herself was bigger than the need to be modest, and she couldn't stop herself once she started.

"I came from Jehenna. I hated the life I had there, studying all days, learning to play the flute and never having any friends. I didn't care for the studies or the arranged marriage I would probably have been forced into soon, so I headed out for Solstheim." Lio stopped, but Brina didn't seem to mind her yammering, and continued, "the Skinny Horker was the ship I boarded by using the money from my father's safe. Our ship was hit by a storm though. We were shipwrecked. The crew stole my possessions and I was left alone." Brina's face was emotionless as she listened to Lio's story. Lio hesitated to continue.

"And?" Brina finally asked. It was enough encouragement for Lio to go on.

"And I swam to the shore, where..." she stopped for a second. "…Where I found another shipwreck and an Argonian named Deekus. I hoped that he would tell me which way to go to find the closest village or port, but the next morning he was killed by horkers. I took his things." Lio realized how she must have sounded. Looting dead corpses wasn't a good hobby to go boasting about. She stuttered in a hurry to explain herself, but Brina shook her head and cut her off.

"Never mind, don't explain. He was dead, it doesn't matter. What next?"

"And then I ran in a random direction. Luckily I found this town. Dawnstar, right?"

Brina nodded slowly.

"Let me ask you something. What was it you were planning to do for a living in Solstheim?"

Lio hadn't thought of that. She knew she would have made do somehow, but there never were any exact plans.

"I..." she mumbled, but Brina shook her head.

"You don't know, huh?" she said and stood up.

"I don't know if you're still planning to go to that ashy and pointless island, but you won't get there from here. Ships aren't going there anymore, not from Skyrim at least. You'll need money to travel safely to other provinces. Your best chance to survive in Skyrim is to go with Veralene. If you still _really _want to go to Morrowind, then working for some honest money is the best me," she said and threw a sharp look at her.

"Yes. I understand," Lio nodded.

"And don't take our deeds for granted. You don't need to thank me, but you should still thank Veralene."

Lio wasn't used to that. She was taught not to thank people when they gave her praise or when they gave her gifts. She was used to other people wanting to help her to get to her father's good graces and thanking people like that was blasphemy. There were exceptions, but at those times all she said was what she had been told to say, as if she was reading a script. Saying "Thank you" for deeds done for her seemed weird and unfamiliar.

"I'm... grateful," she mumbled and finally Brina's face lit up.

"You really are spoiled. You aren't used to thanking people, right?" Brina asked, but she didn't really seem angry. Lio nodded awkwardly. Brina seemed to read her like an open book.

"You'll get used to it soon enough, _especially _when Veralene is around," Brina smirked and seemed to get lost in thought.

"People always did petty things for me to get my father, Moricyan, to like them. Nobody has done something so important for me like you did. Really, I mean it when I say thank you," Lio said, encouraged by her own success at saying something difficult, like a small child who succeeded at pronouncing a difficult word. Brina nodded with a faint smile.

"Don't thank me for something I'm not sure as to why I did it," she laughed and pet Lio's hair.

"That's a nice hairstyle. It suits you," she said and Lio smiled.

"Thank you."

Lio went through her bag and pulled out a sapphire and an emerald.

"Here. It's for the food and healing potions." Lio was sure that Brina would decline, but after a long pause she took the offering with a frown.

The door opened and Veralene marched into the house without a single knock.

"Brina!" her stern voice yelled. She stopped mid-step when she noticed the Breton and threw a frustrated glare at her.

"I just talked to Bjorlam. He'll take me to Helgen tomorrow morning," Veralene turned and stated then, making her way to sit down at a table.

"About that... You're taking Lio with you tomorrow," Brina said, wearing a hopeful expression as she looked at her friend. Veralene seemed to ignore Lio and didn't turn her gaze from the mug of ale she had filled for herself. A long silence lingered between them, until Brina sighed and turned to the fireplace.

Veralene was the first to surrender to the intense silence.

"I'm not going to lie. I can't stand that girl." She paused, then continued," but… since she _is_ indebted to us then I'll take her to my farm. She'll get to taste the _real life_ she so desperately has craved and even escaped her home for," Veralene finally said, smirked and took a sip from her mug.

"You'll have to work, understand? You'll have to work for your food, your profits, and your place to stay," Brina said, turning to Lio. "I guess it's inevitable. You won't get by here in Skyrim if you keep living the way you have your whole life."

"Just... Make it easy on her," she added finally. Veralene nodded at her friend and finished her drink.

"See you tomorrow morning, Lio," Brina said and waved at her. Lio stumbled out of the house and towards the inn, accompanied by the bewildered stares of the local villagers.


	5. Chapter 5

**Updated 06.05.15**

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5.

Bjorlam was a nice Nord with endless stories to tell. The carriage was moving slowly and it was an ideal chance for Lio to see Skyrim. Slowly the snow-covered land littered with Nordic ruins transformed into green, fertile fields that reached far into the horizon, filled with huge trees, flowers and majestic deer and elks. Grand, old statues stood on the tops of mountains and caves led to dark passages underground. The temperature changed from unbearable cold to comfortable warmth. Bjorlam's stories made the change even better.

For some reason she had never heard of the warm parts in the Skyrim. Back in Jehenna good impressions of Skyrim had been rare or sometimes even non-existent. Now Lio could see Skyrim's beauty. In her mind the snowy and harsh province was slowly turning into a beautiful country, filled with warmth and places to see.

Lio was dumbfounded by the beauty surrounding her and she had to be pulled back from the carriage's edge many times so that she wouldn't fall off while gaping at the nature. Veralene seemed to be fairly annoyed with Bjorlam's constant yammering, but she didn't tell him to keep quiet either. Bjorlam told tales of weird acquaintances and happenings and Lio giggled uncontrollably during most of the trip. She would have gladly asked more about details and places, but his stories seemed a lot more amusing and she didn't want to interrupt him.

Brina had been quiet while they had left Dawnstar. She had only waved them goodbye with a faint smile on her face. Veralene didn't seem to have had much to say either.

Lio had met some of the people in the inn before her departure. At first they seemed reluctant to talk to the small and thin stranger, but soon enough many understood that hidden beneath all the weird and torn armor was the harmless Lio, who was mostly scared of everything around her. They saw how Lio was more afraid of them than they were of her. One of the maids, Karita, compared her with a small, proud fox and while Lio disagreed and thought it was silly, most of the others agreed on the similarity.

They explained then that strangers were all unwelcome of late in Dawnstar. Terrible dreams had been haunting the people of the village for a while now and that the villagers were distrustful towards most. Travelers didn't seem to encounter the problem and only the local residents were plagued with terrors that influenced even their lives during the day.

Lio had enjoyed talking to the bard and maid and it seemed like it was the same for the two. They were two of the first in her life who she had been at ease when talking. The chats with the sailors had been bothersome, but Karita and Abelone seemed to be interested in what she had to say.

Of course Lio knew that it all might have been caused by the fact that she was new and interesting. If the tale about nightmares had been truth, then the Dawnstar inn had to be empty most of the time. New guests surely must have been exciting. It was stupid to believe that they cared, but it felt so good to be in the center of interest for those who didn't talk to her for their own gain. Lio let herself believe. It felt sweet, heartwarming.

Lio promised Brina and the bard Karita that she would someday visit Dawnstar again. Lio only felt truly indebted to Brina in the morning when she had woken in her bed and remembered that she would have been dead instead without Brina's help. She knew she owed Brina her life.

It seemed even more special when she knew that strangers weren't welcome in Dawnstar. Lio made a promise to herself to visit Brina one day to thank her again for giving her a second chance in life. A couple of gems couldn't repay Lio's debt. _That_ was something she had agreed on with Veralene.

"It's so beautiful here," Lio mumbled and Veralene looked at her sideways without a single emotion.

"The mountains, the trees, the rivers, everything. It all seems so magical," Lio mumbled on and stared wide-eyed at their surroundings.

"I have two job offerings for you," Veralene's said and her sharp voice snapped Lio out of her daze.

"You can be a farmer on my land. That way you won't have to pay me any extra in gold, but only do manual labor. The other job is for Vilod, who makes a special type of mead with juniper berries. You could help him for gold, but all the profits go to me."

Lio stared into the distance. Neither job seemed like something she could manage, as the only activities she had to use her hands for before were writing and playing the flute. She had never held a shovel or harrow before in her life, nor had she mixed brews.

"What about food and shelter?"

"I'll provide both either way. Although I can't grant that your bed and food will be as luxurious as you're used to," she sneered and Bjorlam turned around for a split second to look at Veralene. Lio looked at the man with eyes pleading for backup, something to make Veralene reconsider the terms, but he turned back to direct the horse, pretending not to exist.

"I'll... work with Vilod, if that's okay," she finally decided. Seeing Veralene all the time didn't seem like a fun pastime. Being under her command was even less appealing. Lio's frail hands were already hurt from all the strain in the past few days and farm work seemed like suicide.

"Making mead it is then! Just so you know, I'll add that since his business doesn't bring in half as much as I earn, working for Vilod will make paying for your debt ten years longer or so. I'm _sure_ you're okay with that."

Lio blinked away her tears. This is what she had agreed to do and now was too late to turn back. She laid back onto the skins laid over the carriage's wooden frame.

"How much longer, Bjorlam?" Veralene asked, her tone impatient, and he looked around.

"I'd say a few hours more," he responded and hummed a tune. It was unfamiliar to Lio, but Veralene seemed to know it. A deep furrow appeared between her dark eyebrows and her lips pursed slightly, her wrinkles deepening and making her look older than she was.

"Quiet down, would you?" Veralene requested and the corner of her mouth rose, forming an annoyed grimace.

"What is that song?" Lio asked and Veralene scoffed.

"Just some Nordic gibberish," she answered before Bjorlam could say anything. Lio sighed.

A sudden smell of smoke and fumes woke Lio from her sleep. The carriage was moving slower. The air around them smelled rancid and huge, snaking clouds of smoke were ascending over a mountain not far away.

"You slept all the way through Whiterun," Veralene sneered, but Lio couldn't focus on her words. She stared ahead, over Veralene's shoulder, at the black fog in the skies.

"Bjorlam? What's going on?" Veralene turned, now smelling smoke too, and stood up on carriage to see further. Mountains were blocking the view of the source of the fumes.

"Helgen should be right around the side of this mountain. My horse is getting restless. I say you go on foot and if you see something ahead, you tell me."

"I'm not going anywhere," Veralene said and the tone of her voice, patronizing and arrogant, made Lio frown. She had heard many arrogant people before, but they had never dared to say anything mean to her before, all thanks to Moricyan.

Lio noticed Veralene before her, looking at her as if she was waiting for something.

"Well? Go on now, see what's happening," Veralene commanded. Lio looked at her in disbelief. Veralene crossed her arms.

With shaking hands Lio pulled herself up and over the edge of the carriage. Slowly she walked on, breathing through the sleeve of her armor. The fumes were nauseating and made her head spin. Her legs still couldn't quite work without pain and she gasped as a sharp throbbing hit her in the knee.

She looked around the side of the mountain.

It was a town like Dawnstar. The only difference was that this one was in flames and completely torn apart. Charred, unrecognizable and burned bodies were littered around, only walls were left standing, whole towers of stone had been torn down. Flames had engulfed the houses made of wood and hay.

She saw something move in one of the two stone towers. A large, black, winged mass climbed out of the building and let out a powerful wail, making small vibrations echo through the ground. It took flight, pushing over entire ashen, wooden walls with just the force its wings made. The red lines on its wings and body shined and disappeared as it quickly flew behind a faraway mountain.

Lio fell. In shock she tried to grab onto the rocks next to her to hail herself up, but her hands slipped and her shoulder blade hit the jagged edge of rock, releasing a strong flash of pain through her body. She stared into the distance and tried to utter something, but words were lost for her.

In utter determination she started crawling. "I must warn Bjorlam," she muttered and took a deep breath. Finally she pushed herself from the ground and started sprinting.

"Fire!" she yelled when she saw the carriage. Veralene's and Bjorlam's eyes widened. He quickly gathered himself.

"Are you staying or coming with me?" Bjorlam bellowed as he pulled the reins, directing the carriage around. Veralene's jaw had dropped and she looked around, her eyes darting everywhere in a desperate try to understand.

"No... no!" Veralene shrieked and hopped off the carriage, as if stung by something.

"Bjorlam! Don't leave yet! You have to help us! There's… There's nothing left of Helgen! But there might be survivors!" Lio yelled and Bjorlam's frantic movements halted.

"I…" he started, but then inhaled deeply, got off the carriage and tied the horse to a nearby tree.

"Let's go!" he said. The three of them then hurried around the mountainside.

"No..." Veralene mumbled and let out a wail. She dropped to her knees and her shoulders shook as she cried loudly and desperately. Bjorlam and Lio hurried past her to the burning village.

"What happened?" Bjorlam shouted and started running through the ruins of the houses.

"I… I don't know! I saw..._something _fly out of the village. It… had wings! It was huge! I don't know!" Lio yelled and pushed away large pieces of broken wood.

"Is anyone alive?" Bjorlam yelled, ignoring Lio's insane rambling, and threw away rubble, only to find a dead legionnaire. The stench of burned flesh was heavy in the air and both had hard time breathing.

"Hello?" Lio cried out and crouched down next to some bodies. Both were dead and she hurried on, not giving a look at the men's faces in fear of the image of swollen and molten flesh burning into her memory. The sight of Deekus' crushed body was enough already.

Veralene had crawled to a house and threw dirt around without any real direction.

"_No_! My house! My farm! My money! All of it... _Gone_! _Just like that_! _Curse you_,_ Eight Divines_!_ Why did you let this happen to me_?" she shrieked and muttered senseless words. She hit the ground with her fists and sobbed even louder.

"Help!" a faint voice whispered from under a toppled over carriage.

A male Nord was stuck from his waist downward under the heavy mass of the carriage and seemed to be bleeding badly. Lio crouched down to him as he coughed weakly.

"Who are you? We'll help you out right away!" Lio muttered and looked around for Bjorlam, but the man grabbed at her armor and pulled her low near his pained face that was framed by graying, long hair.

"I'm Vilod... The others went to the keep... Tell my family I fought bravely," he whispered and let go, his eyes closing and the tension in his muscles and the pained grimace on his face disappearing. Lio shook him a couple of times, but stepped away finally. She rubbed her face with the back of her gauntlet and sighed. Pressing her eyes closed, she desperately tried to forget the image of the man, but it had already embedded itself to her mind.

"Bjorlam! Have you found anyone?" Lio yelled and looked around.

"No," she heard him answer behind a corner of a burnt down house, tired and desperate.

"The rest of the survivors went to the keep," she said as she stepped to Bjorlam, who wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. His face was covered with soot and sweat.

"How do you know that?"

"A man called Vilod told me. He's..."

"I'll go check the keep then,," Bjorlam said after a moment, realizing what Lio was struggling to say and walked past her. Before he could take another step, Lio's small hand grabbed his wrist and stilled him.

"No. You keep on searching here and keep an eye on Veralene. She's lost it. I'll go to the keep. I…" she said and thought for a second before continuing. "If I don't come back, don't wait for me."

"Wait, why?" Bjorlam asked and frowned.

"Better two survivors than three more dead. You can lead the carriage, not me. Veralene won't make it alone and without support. I'll find my way out," she sighed. She wasn't sure why she had made that decision or where her sudden boldness came from. It was unlike her.

Then she saw Veralene far away, still sobbing on the ground. This was a great plan to get rid of the mad woman. Lio could probably find a better way to pay Brina back.

She felt brave, the adrenaline pumping in her veins encouraging her even further.

"Right. You're right. What was I thinking? Before ya go, here. I've remembered the roads by now," Bjorlam said and pulled out a map from his back pocket. Lio thanked him and picked up two random steel swords from the ground, both caked with mud and soot. She cleaned the swords into her armor's hem.

"Good luck," he wished and after nodding Bjorlam goodbye, Lio stepped into the keep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Updated 12.05.15**

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6.

Lio found herself in a round hall with a high ceiling and second story balconies. Red banners with an iron dragon figure in the middle were draped on the walls. There were two doorways in opposite sides of the hall. The left one seemed to be blocked off by immovable wooden bars, but the door on the right was open and she stepped in. The walls were covered heavily with moss and rivulets of water that were racing down the stone. The air was thick with moisture and the smell of moss. The way was dark and Lio had a hard time seeing details clearly.

She continued through the corridor, delving deeper and deeper. Some carriages and hay piles were littered about, but nothing of interest was along her way.

Turning the corner, she saw some dust fall from the ceiling. She pushed it off of her armor and took another step, but suddenly the ground shook and a large part of the ceiling caved in in front of her. She recoiled and shielded herself with her arms until she felt safe enough to move again. Luckily she avoided most of the rubble. Her way was blocked and the only direction she could go in was through a door on the left.

Lio slowly pushed the door open, keeping a steel sword ready at all times. She sneaked in.

It seemed to be a ware room or a meeting place, as there were baskets and shelves filled with food. The air was warmer than in the corridor; a waning fire was burning in a hearth. Untouched mugs of ale were on a large table, as was some stew and bread. Lio rummaged through chests and barrels, taking healing potions and alcohol with her. She took some food too, just in case.

She exited the room through another door and found herself in the same corridor, but on the other side of the cave-in. The ground shook again, but not as strongly this time and the ceiling was left intact. She hurried down another set of stairs as softly as she could.

At the end of another mossy hallway was a larger room. Lio already turned away her eyes when entering, noticing lifeless bodies of imperials and men dressed in blue armor. Three metal cages were leaning on the wall in front of her, two empty and one holding the body of a robed mage. She carefully tiptoed over the bodies to a nearby table, where she found an odd book and a knapsack.

""The Book of The Dragonborn"?" she read and a small fit of laughter escaped her lips. Lio stopped then in the middle of a small giggle, suddenly reminded of the dead behind her, and felt like she had done something very disrespectful to the men who had given their lives here. Laughing was not something one should do when seeing a sight like that, she thought.

Throwing another look at the book, she was hesitant to pick it up.

"Nords and their myths," she mumbled and stuffed it into the knapsack. She strapped it on.

Something glittered at the corner of her eye. She turned and saw some coins and a potion next to the mage in the middle cage.

"Practice!" she mumbled excitedly and crouched down next to the lock on the cage door. Most of her lockpicks broke one by one, bending excessively in wrong positions. Almost all were in pieces, when at last one turned and the cage door moved with a satisfying groan. A faint smile crossed Lio's lips.

Without giving a look at the mage, she took the coins and potion, ignoring whatever guilt bubbled in her at the thought of stealing from the dead. At the other side of the room was a bigger cage, in which there was a bar counter. The door was open and Lio stepped in, taking the bag of coins from the counter.

With quiet steps she continued down the stairs, following a large trail of blood to another entryway. It was a torture room, filled with cages hanging from the ceiling with skeletons and dead bodies in them, and a lot of blood. A nauseating crimson trail led from a cage to the center of the room. Lio hesitantly allowed herself a quick look at one of the bodies in the cages, giving in to curiosity.

"By the gods," she whispered, as she saw maggots roaming on and in the dead man's skin. He was decomposing, his face swollen and broken. A stench reached her and Lio bowed down above the blood, feeling her morning breakfast coming up her throat.

She threw up until there was nothing more left in her. She gasped and shuddered, closing her eyes to forget what she just saw. Wiping her mouth, she continued moving, looking straight ahead and ignoring the skeletons trapped in the cages.

There was a hole in the back wall of the room. It led down into a wet, dark cave, turning and winding out of her view. Lio held on to the bricks of the broken wall and leaned into the entrance, looking down the path. Sound of water echoed quietly from ahead.

Lio inhaled sharply. She readied her swords and entered as quietly as she could.

This cave had been in use for a long time. A path had formed. The cave was clear of rubble. Bowls filled with burning fire and ashes were placed in long intervals on the side of the path. From one of these Lio grabbed a charcoal and stuffed it in her bag.

The road led into a large chamber. A couple of bodies in blue and red were haphazardly lying on the ground, motionless. Stone bridges led over creeks and stairs led down to a more uneven earth and the creek itself. Red banners were hung on the walls across the chamber and they floated in a slight breeze. From a hole in the ceiling a stream of sunlight entered the dark room.

Lio crossed the bridges to another corridor lighted by candles on the walls. A wooden board was blocking the way and, without thought, Lio pulled down the lever in front of it. The wooden board fell, becoming a bridge over a chasm.

She stepped on the bridge with one foot, testing its stability. It seemed sturdy and she slowly made her way across into another large chamber.

A waterfall in one of the room's sides filled the space with echoing sounds. Its stream connected with the creek from the other chamber. Lio followed it cautiously.

The creek ended at a cave-in. The water slipped through the rocks and continued its way, but Lio had no other way but to turn left. The waterfall's sound blocked out any others and Lio looked behind her, making sure she was alone.

A rancid smell reached her. As she was turning to face the road again, she walked into thick, white webbing that was floating from the walls. Her sword got stuck in it and with a slash she got it loose again. The blade was covered in sticky, white mass and Lio's stomach dropped.

The only things Lio hated more than seeing kids and dead bodies were spiders.

"By Oblivion," she sighed almost soundlessly and crouched down to avoid the webs hanging from the ceiling. A fearful frown didn't leave her face as she looked at the walls that were colored white.

Weird purring sounds reached Lio's ears. An open chamber was ahead, filled with thick webs. Small masses were wrapped in the white netting and hung from the ceiling, and Lio recognized the origin of the smell that filled the tunnel. Rotting corpses.

The steel sword in Lio's hang shook as shock hit her. Human-sized spiders roamed in the room, their hairy legs making quiet sounds as they scuffled onward. Some smaller ones were wrapping the corpses of skeevers and imperials in webs. Some dead spiders were littered on the ground, their eyes and limbs pierced and their hairy bodies crumpled.

Lio crouched in the shadows, next to the entrance of the room. She inhaled deeply, the fear in her almost rendering her immobile. She gripped the hilt of her sword, trying to stop the shaking of her fingers. For a second she peeked around the corner, counting four spiders, one of them big and the other three smaller.

She closed her eyes and mouthed her prayers. The heroism and boldness she had felt before were gone now, as if the cold had taken all emotions except fear, leaving her shaky and hollow.

"Come on, you coward!" she whispered to herself and stared at her blade, willing her hands to stop shaking. Her fingers fidgeted and that was all that was needed for the blade to slip from her hands.

She gritted her teeth as she watched it fall. For a moment she saw the metal drop slowly, as if time itself slowed. Then the world sped ahead and an echoing, metallic clunk sounded through the cave and everything suddenly fell silent.

A shadow loomed over her from behind. Slowly Lio turned her head, only to see the biggest spider's two bloodthirsty mandibles inches from her face. She recoiled and let out a scream that echoed through the whole cave system.

Suddenly her fingers felt the leathery grip of her weapon. The monster scuffled closer, opening its horrific and foul smelling mouth. It screeched and closed its jaws slowly, Lio's head between them. She raised her sword.

Suddenly, the tip of a steel blade plunged through its upper jaw. The monstrosity squirmed and screamed at the sudden pain and then collapsed at Lio's feet. She pulled her blade from the corpse and stood up, still speechless from what had happened.

A sudden ball of venom flew past Lio, pulling her back into reality. She gripped the sword harder as she faced the three small arachnids. The three of them kept spitting small amounts of venom at her, most missing.

Small amounts hit Lio's left arm and leg and the venom burned through the fabric of her armor, charring her skin. She hissed in pain, but gritted her teeth and pulled out her imperial sword. She plunged forward at the closest spider.

It jumped at her, attacking with legs. Lio randomly slashed at it, almost cutting into her own arms. She countered as best as she could, sometimes backing away to evade the attacks. The spider kept coming at her unrelentingly. She gasped for air, heaved and swung her sword again desperately.

A sudden bite in the back of her left shoulder felled Lio. She gasped; the spider's fangs had bitten through the soft armor at the upper part of her shoulder. The venom in her blood burned and drained her energy and she gasped for air, eyes wide and mouth open.

With a roar she pushed herself up, only to be grounded again by a spider that pounced on her. The girl lost her grip on her steel sword and it slid away into a thick web. The spider bit at her, its legs punching her in her gut. Lio felt the other two nipping at her sides, releasing small doses of venom into her already tired legs and hands.

With one hand she kept slashing at the spider on her randomly, eyes closed, and the other hand was covering her face. She hit her wrist with the sword's hilt and shrieked.

Then a short screech filled the caves.

The spider's mass stumbled from her. She had hit the arachnid in its many eyes and it cried out as it twitched in pain. The other two spiders backed away for a moment and Lio pushed herself up from the ground with an angry cry.

Her hands and face were lacerated and bloodied. The wounds were shallow, but hurt as the venom was slowly spreading in her bloodstream. The crimson fluid dripped into her eye and she hissed. She dropped back to a battle stance, or what she thought one should look like. Stumbling for her second blade, she shook it free from the webs.

The monstrosities were skidding closer, ready to jump any moment. In a moment of flurry and inspiration Lio jumped and turned, putting all her force into her hands and slashing through both of the monsters' beaded heads. Their lifeless bodies fell to the ground, twitching and trembling.

Lio fell to her knees, her blades slipping from her grasp and hitting the dirt below her.

She sobbed and laughed. Her wounds and the venom in her veins were creating pain of the sort she had never felt before. Small paper-cuts or scrapes on her knees were the most she had ever endured. This pain was horrifying, paralyzing, nothing she had imagined she was capable of feeling.

At the same time the success of the battle filled her mind. She rejoiced, relief and satisfaction washing over her, easing the pain she was in. Laughter broke free from deep inside her and the caves echoed of her giggles.


	7. Chapter 7

**Updated 25.05.15**

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7.

Empty healing potions were scattered between corpses of spiders. A faint blood trail led from the bottles over a blonde Nord's body and into another tunnel. The blood droplets shrunk on the way until they finally disappeared where Lio stood, wiping her mouth. Another empty healing potion fell to the ground next to her.

The wounds and cuts on her face were weaved together and she felt new energy and strength surrounding her and merging into her. Frail golden waves surrounded her and wrapped her in a blanket of bliss. The holes in her shoulders disappeared as if they hadn't existed and only faint, unnoticeable scars were left. The pain in her muscles wasn't there anymore. Lio smiled faintly.

"Help..." a voice tore her from the ecstasy. She gripped her weapons and crouched readily. Another large area unfolded in front of her eyes once she sneaked through the next corridor. Some blood was splattered on the ground here and there; a wooden cart had been tossed aside and was upside down, some animal's, probably a bear's, corpse lay on ground in a spot of sunlight that gleamed from a hole in the ceiling. A man was on the ground, shuddering heavily.

He was dressed in familiar armor – he was an Imperial legionnaire.

"Please..." the legionnaire groaned and Lio sneaked to him. He was holding on to his stomach, a small pool of blood underneath him. He looked at Lio with hazy eyes, gasping for air.

"Why did you…" he said weakly, but was cut off by a wet cough,"...come back?"

"I came to see what was going on here," she stuttered, unsure what to say. The man's eyes narrowed. He coughed.

"Are you mad? You need to warn Riverwood! Quit messing around and get down there!" he yelled, the sudden strength in his voice surprising Lio.

"What? No, you don't understand..." she started, but the man cut into her sentence with another hard cough.

"No, _you_ don't understand... Ah, to Oblivion with it. You're here, and I need help. I need a healing potion before I can go on. Once I'm back on my feet we can go together and warn them. So long as that dragon isn't still out there."

Lio's eyes widened.

So her eyes hadn't played tricks on her. That terrifying large being was a legend come true – a dragon.

"You... you saw it?" she mumbled, taking out her last potion. She uncorked it with a loud pop, raised the Nord's head gently and poured the liquid down his throat. A faint glow appeared around him and he stopped shivering. He quickly sat up, stretching his limbs for a moment and looking as ready as ever. As if he hadn't been dying seconds ago.

"You saw what happened to Helgen," he said, brushing dust off of his armor. He looked around, his eyes narrowed. "I don't see Ralof anywhere."

He seemed to give up on whatever he was thinking of doing and sighed then.

"We should get out of here," he said, his voice strong and invigorated.

"So the..." Lio started and almost choked on her words, "..._dragon_ was behind the havoc that had been unleashed upon that poor village..." Hadvar nodded grimly, his eyes fixated on the hairy mass of the dead animal further away. The idea of dragons seemed bizarre still. Since when were they living in a fairy tale?

"Who is this Ralof?"

He looked around, his sword now ready in his hands.

"A long-haired blonde male, has braids in his hair and a short beard, wears a Stormcloak cuirass," he answered.

Realization hit her.

"Is a Stormcloak cuirass dark blue?" He nodded. Most of the dead men in the keep had been Stormcloaks.

"I'm sorry... Your friend, I think I saw him. He's..." Lio started, but no more words came out. She couldn't tell the man that his friend was dead.

"Dead, huh?" He frowned. He turned to leave and Lio followed his lead. Lio realized with shocking sadness that soldiers must be used to losing important people. It was just a part of everyday life for them.

"What happened?" she asked as she caught up to him. He looked at Lio with mournful eyes.

"We caught Ulfric and his men in an ambush at Darkwater Crossing," he said.

"We were supposed to move Ulfric to Cyrodiil, but there was a change of plans. We took them to Helgen for public execution. Before we could behead him, the... dragon appeared." His already grim face became even darker now. His eyes were narrowed and brows furrowed.

"We fought our way here. I almost died killing this bear here," he said and pointed at the massive body curled on the ground. Its fur was bloody, Lio noticed.

"And what about the survivors?" Lio inquired. The man suddenly stopped and raised his arms before him, palms upwards and a sad smile on his face.

"You're looking at the one."

Lio frowned. Hadvar started to walk away and Lio followed him.

"I'm sorry, where are my manners? The name's Hadvar. I'm a legionnaire, as you probably already could tell," he said amiably, giving her a sad sideways smile.

"Lio. Just a traveler," she said and nodded, unable to form a smile to meet his.

"I think I see the exit over there. Let's go," he said, snapping Lio out of the moment of struggle. A gentle breeze rustled the strands of hair around her face. She inhaled the fresh air.

Slowly they stepped out of the cave. Hadvar had crouched down into a sneaking position. He looked around nervously, checking the skies.

"Looks like the dragon's gone for good this time. I don't think we should stick around to see if he comes back," Hadvar said, tension leaving him. He stood and gave Lio a hard, but willful and encouraging look.

"Closest town from here is Riverwood. My uncle's the blacksmith there. I'm sure he'd help you out. It's probably best if we split up. Good luck. I wouldn't have made it without your help today." Hadvar looked at the road going down the hill. He started walking.

Lio blinked.

"W-wait. Slow down. What's going on?" Lio stuttered and moved to sheathe her weapons, but Hadvar had turned back to look at her, his hand on her wrist and stopping her movements.

"Keep your weapons close. The woods are dangerous here. Like I said before, we need to warn Riverwood of the dragon. They are defenseless against a creature like that." Lio nodded and readied her swords. His brows furrowed.

"You saved my life in that cave. I'm very grateful," Hadvar said, serious and honest. Technically, it had been a healing potion that had done the work, but Lio kept the thought to herself.

"I don't think splitting up is a good idea. I... don't really know the area here," she said and Hadvar's eyebrow rose.

"I thought you said you're a traveler. Shouldn't you know your way around? And what was a traveler doing down in that cave anyway?"

Lio looked at her mucus-covered weapons. She couldn't tell the whole truth, but she didn't want to lie either. The only option was not to mention what he didn't need to hear.

"I'm new to the province. I never planned on going to Skyrim. I've come from Dawnstar and arrived here in a carriage and found Helgen in that state. A man called... what was his name again... Vilod! Yes, Vilod told us that the survivors went to the keep and I wanted to help. But… there weren't any, except for you."

Hadvar nodded slowly, his brows furrowed.

"Well, the Stormcloaks and Imperials took each other down without thinking. Nothing we can do now," Hadvar said flatly. Lio frowned at his easy mention of murder. Together they turned as the road twisted in uncomfortable silence and started their walk down the hill. A cold wind whipped at Lio's cheeks and made her wounds ache again.

"Looking at your armor I'm guessing you ran into trouble somewhere?" Hadvar asked, his eyes shamelessly looking at her body from head to toe. A faint blush appeared on her face as she could almost physically feel his gaze. This type of staring was unheard of in the upper classes. She had only been stared at like that by older men on the streets. It felt dirty, invasive. He didn't seem to notice her discomfort, however. Soon enough he turned away and Lio sighed a sigh of relief.

"I ran into some spiders," Lio mumbled between small gasps for air. Their tempo had quickened and Lio's venom-numbed legs didn't work as well as a soldier's like Hadvar.

"I thought we killed those wretched beings," Hadvar spat. Lio jerked back a little, surprised.

"It was my first fight," Lio said absently after a while, now gaping at the lush nature around them. The view to their left was marvelous. The trees were beautifully lush and the nice color of moss, the blue, red and purple mountain flowers were swaying slowly in the breeze on the mountainside. The hills and highlands far away almost seemed to touch the sky with their snowy peaks.

"First? With frostbite spiders? How many?" Hadvar asked, surprised. His wide, interested eyes looked at Lio, but she didn't turn her attention towards him at all. The nature had engulfed her.

"One big, three smaller ones," she responded after a while, inattentive.

"Not bad, rookie!" he said, a smile on his lips, and patted her shoulder. His patting was unintentionally heavy and it surprised Lio out of her daze. Lio grinned, embarrassed.

Pushing back some hair from her face, she noticed that her hands were shaking. The adrenaline and venom in her veins were making her shake. Small shudders of cold ran over her back. The pain was almost unnoticeable now, but from time to time the venom still stung. She was glad.

"Listen, you should go to Solitude and join up with the Imperial Legion. We could really use someone like you. And if the rebels have themselves a dragon, General Tullius is the only one who can stop them," Hadvar said suddenly in an amicable tone. Now Lio's attention was all on him.

"Wait," she said and stopped.

"You think _I_ could get into the army?" she inquired, her eyebrows high. She had never expected such an offer in her life.

"Sure. With a little training, of course."

Lio was speechless for a short moment. Then, deciding all this talk was just Hadvar being thankful in his own way, she changed the topic. "I… ah, alright. Do you really think that the dragon was sent by Ulfric?"

Hadvar shrugged.

"It's a chance. Ulfric is known for these... tricks of his," he said.

Lio threw him a confused glance, but he didn't seem to notice. His red armor shined in the sunlight and she closed her eyes as she turned to the sun, relishing its' warmth. The cold shudders almost seemed to disappear. She forgot her questions completely.

They were almost at the bottom of the mountain and were entering a more thickly forested area. Hadvar kept looking behind them warily. Then his eyes caught on to something and Lio looked the same way - a huge Nordic ruin stood not far away on a snowy mountainside. They came to an abrupt stop and took in the sight.

"See that ruin up there? Bleak Falls Barrow. When I was a boy, that place always used to give me nightmares." He pointed at the ruins. "Draugr creeping down the mountain to climb through my window at night, that kind of thing. I admit, I still don't much like the look of it." Hadvar's voice turned from admiring to wary. His narrowed eyes scanned the grand structure. Lio took out her map and charcoal. She placed it down on the rocky path and smiled when she noticed roads and cities already marked on it.

"Here," Hadvar's finger pointed at a drawn-on mountain between two villages, Helgen and Riverwood. Lio nodded thankfully and scribbled the ruin's name on the map. She then put her things back into her bag and they continued their descend.

"What's a draugr?" Lio asked and Hadvar's smiling face cringed ever so slightly.

"The undead that roam the crypts and ruins in Skyrim."

"The... the undead?" Lio stuttered, blinking. It obviously was some sort of joke.

"You're joking, right?" she chuckled nervously. However, Hadvar's face was still grim. Cold shudders ran over her back and a sudden feeling of danger suffocated her. She shifted closer to Hadvar.

Not far on a platform stood three upright engraved and weirdly shaped stones. Hadvar's face lit up in excitement. It was a lot of sudden emotion from him and Lio almost laughed at his reaction.

"These are the Guardian Stones, three of the thirteen ancient standing stones that dot Skyrim's landscape. Go ahead, see for yourself," Hadvar said, his hands on his hips proudly. She threw a puzzled look at him, but all he did was smile and wave for her to move forward.

She stepped carefully over the roots that covered the stony platform. A strange aura radiated in the space between the stones. She felt a bit slow, as if she was walking in water. A light electric feeling made the hair on her skin stand.

The stones towered over the Breton. She inspected the engravings, her mouth slightly open. She recognized the images of a warrior, a thief and a mage.

Lio understood what she had to do. She had to decide. Who was she going to be? A mage who wields an old staff and all of the elements in the palms of her hands? A thief, who lives by the night and who sticks to the shadows, nocks an arrow on a bow and kills without a single noise? Or a warrior, who faces dangers head-on without fear, a large blade in her hands?

Lio's hand reached out and touched a stone. The engraved warrior looked back at her. She felt a strong and powerful energy flow from the stone into her hand. It was brave and heroic, daring and fearless. It made the pain in her body fade into a distance, the shudders stop and her posture straighten.

A soft glow appeared in a hole at the top of the stone. It gleamed and made a quiet chiming sound. Suddenly a ray of light shone up to the sky from the stone, visible even when the setting sun flashed its rays. Hadvar sighed in amazement, but Lio barely noticed him.

She took her weapons in her hands and tested them. Now they felt natural, like they were made for her palms. Not heavy or awkward, but exactly right.

"A warrior, good!" Hadvar cheered, a strong smile on his face. Lio sheathed her weapons with a small grin, and they continued their way down the hill. The air was warmer. All fear had dissipated. She knew she could fight through a battle if it was necessary. She could survive.

A river was on their left, its blue waters reflecting the sun. And then the sun was gone, hidden behind mountains and trees. It was getting late.

Lio didn't want to stay out in the dark. Hadvar's seriousness showed his similar concerns.

He stopped. Lio was about to ask something, but he shushed her. Slowly he pulled out his sword and shield, turning towards the woods on the right. Hadvar nodded towards the forest and she nodded back. She readied her swords as quietly as she could. Soon Lio saw what Hadvar had noticed already: four pairs of glowing eyes. Dark beings were lurking towards them, growling lowly and baring their teeth. The beings stayed in the shadows of the forest, slowly decreasing the distance between them and the two humans. Lio recognized them as they stepped out of the trees' shadows - wolves.

Suddenly, they attacked. Hadvar craftily blocked a jump assault by one of the beasts and pushed it down, hitting its head with his shield repeatedly until it stopped moving. For a moment Lio was in awe, unsure if to feel scared or amazed, and wondered at Hadvar's courage and brutality, but in the next moment she was already down on the ground. A wolf hovered above her, biting with its fangs and tearing with its talons. Lio's already broken armor was ripped apart.

She felt its talons pressing into her flesh. She had blocked its strong jaws with her blade. The wolf tried to pull back to avoid the metal, but Lio pressed the blade into its skull and grabbed the fur on the animal's neck tightly, holding it in place. It whined and tried to shake free, but it was stuck firmly. Every rabid movement it made only sunk the sword deeper between its' jaws. She closed her eyes and turned away as she pushed the wolf's head strongly into her blade. Thick, hot blood rained over her and obscured her sight.

Quickly she pushed the corpse away and got up. She wiped the blood out of her face to see. Hadvar had already killed two of the animals and was unscathed. The third was circling him, saliva dripping from its jaws as it bared its teeth. The wolf jumped at him and Hadvar raised his shield for protection. Nothing happened though and he raised his eyes to see Lio, who had cut the monster down mid-flight. A steel sword was in carved in the side of its body and it whined. The wolf shook violently and tried to get the blade out, but Lio stepped on his neck and took hold of her sword's handle. With all of her little strength she pulled the blade out of the shaking body. Lio turned away, hiding tears that wanted to burst free. She heard Hadvar do the kill himself behind her.

"Not bad! A little shabby, but everything can be fixed with training," Hadvar said in a happy tone. He put away his shield and sword and smiled. Lio didn't return the gesture.

She was covered in heavy blood. It wasn't only animal blood, it was hers too. Many places in her armor were torn and her skin was pierced. She had been scratched and bitten.

She ran her fingers along the three wide claw marks that now were cut into her cheek. Lio wiped away the blood into her gauntlet and blew at the hair in her vision. It was sticking together in thick, dark clumps and she could see that her brown hair had been turned black by blood. Quickly she arranged her hair and stormed past Hadvar. She wanted to move on. Soon, the sound of his steps followed her.

They stayed quiet for some time. The blood on Lio made her sick to her stomach and she swallowed back bile. Shocked tears welled in her eyes and she kept blinking them away. Hadvar seemed oblivious.

Turning a corner, Lio could see wooden walls surrounding a quaint village. Civilization and safety weren't far now. Hadvar lighted up and smiled faintly.

"I'm glad you decided to come with me. We're almost to Riverwood," he said, his rough voice friendly. Lio's anger disappeared.

"As long as I get to bathe and eat..." she mumbled and covered the three bloody lines on her face with her hand. Hadvar grinned and pat her on the back once again. For a moment she winced when he accidentally touched a wound, but then she smiled back weakly.


	8. Chapter 8

Checked the 8th chapter finally! I'll try to end this part of Lio's life as soon as I can and maybe start something new soon. I believe I've improved my writing skill and made my style less bulky. Finishing Lio's story is going to be a summer project.

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8.

Their tempo had slowed down considerably. They had started their run from the cave and then running had changed into walking. Or, in Lio's case, limping. Her legs ached and every step felt as if she was stepping on needles.

"Hadvar! Wait a bit," Lio said and hopped down to the river bank by the road. He stood and kept watch. She fixed her hair and face with water, erasing as much of the remnants of the battle as she could. What stayed firmly were the three lines under her left eye. She felt a bit more human again, but a hot bath still seemed like the best thing she could hope for. A healing potion wasn't a bad idea either.

The road turned and they followed. They were at the gates of Riverwood. It was getting quite late already and not many were walking around. A guard was patrolling not far away, but he didn't seem to mind them entering and nodded at Hadvar. An old lady was leaning against a rail on the porch of the first house to the right. A young man walked up to her, carrying firewood. On the left was a blacksmith's house. An older man was working there, hammering a scorched piece of metal.

"Things look quiet enough here. Come on. There's my uncle," Hadvar said and turned towards the smithy. He looked almost as relieved as Lio, and there was something to his smile, something that Lio thought must have been the happiness of returning home. Something she had never felt.

Lio followed Hadvar in his shadow and kept looking down to let her dark and dirty hair hide her bloodied face.

"Uncle Alvor! Hello!" Hadvar shouted. Alvor turned around, wiping the sweat from his brow. His eyes widened as he took in the sight before him.

"Hadvar? What are you doing here? Are you on leave from..." Alvor stopped, seeing the dried blood in the crevices of Hadvar's armor. Hadvar looked better than Lio, but the fight with the bear had left him with some scratches, too.

"Shor's bones, what happened to you, boy?"

Hadvar shushed him and stepped under the roof of the smithy, Lio following suit.

"Uncle, please. Keep your voice down. I'm fine. But we should go inside to talk."

Alvor nodded to him, turning towards the house, but stopped. He noticed the shadow behind Hadvar. Alvor's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What's going on? And who's this?" he asked. Lio cowered as Alvor's eyes looked her over. She didn't dare look him in the eyes.

"She's a friend. Saved my life, in fact. Come on, I'll explain everything, but we need to go inside," Hadvar said and his uncle agreed after a moment of thought. He turned his stare from Lio's weapons, but suspicion stayed in his eyes.

"Okay, okay. Come inside, then. Sigrid will get you something to eat and you can tell me all about it."

The old lady from the other house suddenly screeched, "A dragon! I saw a dragon!" and Lio jolted a bit. The young man from before started conversing with the lady, but their chat disappeared behind the closed door of Alvor's house.

Warm air hugged Lio. It was a cozy place. A fire was burning in the fireplace and gave the room a soft red glow. A stew was in a pot above it. A girl half Lio's age was sleeping on a single bed covered with skins. The steps of three people were enough to wake her up. She rubbed her eyes and looked around in a sleepy haze, but all of her tiredness disappeared once she saw Hadvar. A bright grin appeared on her face.

"Sigrid! We have company!" Alvor hollered and sat down to a table covered with different kinds of meals, but Hadvar stayed at the door, shielding Lio from the young girl's eyes. The girl however didn't even notice the Breton and ran to Hadvar to give him a big hug before moving to peek into the stew pot.

A middle-aged woman ascended the basement stairs and an amiable smile appeared on her face as she saw Hadvar.

"Hadvar! We've been so worried about you! Come, you two must be hungry. Sit down and I'll get you something to eat," Sigrid said and smiled at the cowering Lio. Lio's eyebrows shot up. Sigrid didn't even bat an eye at their appearances. She must have been used to it.

Hadvar complied and sat down at the table. . The little girl sat back on her bed, licking a finger she had stuck into the stew, and looked at Hadvar with wide, excited eyes. Lio stood at the door and stared around nervously, but Hadvar's encouraging smile made her step to the closest chair. She flopped down on it, rubbing her aching feet and cringing because of the tiredness and pain.

"Now, then, boy. What's the big mystery? What are you doing here, looking like you lost an argument with a cave bear?" Hadvar chuckled at that, but Lio frowned. He took the situation so lightly and she just couldn't. Sigrid came to Lio and pushed a mug of ale and a bowl of stew to her. Lio nodded at her thankfully.

"I don't know where to start. You know I was assigned to General Tullius' guard. We were stopped in Helgen when we were attacked... by a dragon." All movements in the room stopped except for Lio's satisfied chewing. Sigrid and Alvor gaped at Hadvar with mouths open and eyes wide. Even the child stopped dangling her legs back and forth and now stared at Hadvar with large, blue eyes.

"A dragon? That's... ridiculous. You aren't drunk, are you boy?" Alvor's incredulous voice inquired. A scornful look appeared on Sigrid's face and she said, "Husband. Let him tell his story."

"Not much more to tell. This dragon flew over and just wrecked the whole place. Mass confusion. I don't know if anyone else got out alive. I doubt I'd have made it out myself if not for my friend here." The stares in the room turned to Lio. Another amiable and surprised smile appeared on Sigrid's face.

"I need to get back to Solitude and let them know what's happened. I thought you could help us out. Food, supplies, a place to stay," Hadvar said hopefully and turned to his uncle. The fear and surprise disappeared from Alvor's features and he smiled worriedly.

"Of course! Any friend of Hadvar's is a friend of mine. I'm glad to help however I can."

After a short, uncomfortable cough, Alvor stood. He took out a bag and dropped the contents of it on the table and motioned to them with a smile. He was offering Lio a reward, she realized.

After another encouraging smile from Hadvar, Lio took the healing potions, cheese wedges, mead, lock picks and rings, guilt pinching at her stomach.

"I need your help. _We _need your help," Alvor said once everyone had settled down again.

"The Jarl needs to know if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless… We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever soldiers he can. You've seen the situation there. You saw what happened. If you'll do that for me, I'll be in your debt," Alvor said. His ashy face wore a hopeful smile and Lio couldn't help but nod.

"I'll do it," Lio finally mumbled, her words more like a short croak than a decent sentence. She didn't have much of a choice.

Lio was sent to talk to the ruler of the hold. Of course it wasn't her first meeting with an aristocrat, as her father had been one, but through the years she had spent mingling she had learnt to ask before acting. All people were different and if Lio was going to speak with such a prominent person, then it was better if she was ready for it.

Lio cleared her throat. She weakly and quietly asked about the Jarl.

"Jarl Balgruuf? He rules Whiterun Hold. A good man, perhaps a bit over-cautious, but these are dangerous times. So far he's managed to stay out of the war. I'm afraid it can't last, though," Alvor answered.

Lio did remember seeing a city called Whiterun, not far from Helgen and Riverwood on the map.

"The civil war between the Imperials and Stormcloaks? Which side does he favor?"

"I don't think he likes either Ulfric or Elisif much. Who can blame him? But I've no doubt he'll prove loyal to the Empire in the end. He's no traitor."

"Who is this Elisif?"

"Ah, you must be new to Skyrim. Jarl Elisif, I should say, although only because she was married to Jarl Torygg when he was murdered. Ulfric murdered Torygg, you know. Walked right into his palace in Solitude and killed him. Shouted him to death, if you believe the stories. That's what started this whole war. The Empire couldn't ignore that. Once the Jarls start killing each other, we're back to the bad old days."

Lio's tired mind was trying hard to memorize all these interesting facts about Skyrim. If she really wanted to get out of this province and gather some treasure, knowing the current state of the land really could come in handy. Maybe she could make a fake identity for herself here. Maybe then she could even get into politics or banking and make a fortune fast.

"Solitude?"

"Yes, the largest and most grand city in Skyrim. It's the home to general Tullius."

"And... shouted?"

"It's an old language – the dragon language. Only the monks in High Hrothgar can speak it. And well... the Dragonborn can too, but there hasn't been one since the time of the great Tiber Septim."

Lio nodded, her mouth slightly open. A memory was prodding her in the back of her mind. She had seen this name Dragonborn before. Then she remembered. Her hand reached into her satchel and she uncovered a grey book. She threw it on the table for Alvor to see. Sigrid and Hadvar also stepped closer to inspect.

""The Book of the Dragonborn", eh? That's exactly what I'm talking about. Have you read it? If not, then do."

Lio nodded and took the book back. She sighed and rested back on the chair.

"You should get your armor fixed. You can use my forge whenever you want to," Alvor added and smiled amicably. Lio gave a look at her armor and frowned at the sight of the beautiful materials torn apart.

"But I don't know how to..."

"Don't worry. I'll teach you."

Hadvar's uncle's family's hospitality was heartwarming. Lio smiled.

"Hadvar, did you really see a dragon? What did it look like? Did it have big teeth?" the girl asked as she hopped to Hadvar. He chuckled a bit, although it seemed forced and tired. Sigrid, mercifully, hushed her and gently pushed her back to her bed.

"Well, I'd better get back to work. You two make yourselves at home," Alvor said, stood up and left the house. The little girl sighed heavily and let her mother tuck her in. Lio hadn't noticed Hadvar's eyes on her.

"It's nice to be back in a friendly spot, huh?" he said with a tired smile. Lio nodded and uncorked a mead bottle that she had taken from Alvor.

"Honningbrew mead?" she read and took a sip. She almost spit the brew out and Hadvar chuckled at her reaction.

"This tastes really bad," she coughed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. The mead was sweet and tasted of honey and apples, but it was all too watery. Wine had burned her throat and made her sick, but Honningbrew, on the other hand, tasted too little of alcohol to have any effect on her or to even be really drinkable.

"It's not _that _bad. Actually, it's the best in Skyrim. It sounds as if you're tasting mead for the first time."

"Well... I am."

"Really?" Hadvar's eyebrows shot up and an amused grin appeared on his face. Lio could now notice his tiredness even clearer, how his eyes drooped ever so slightly, even though he had been doing a good job at hiding it in front of the little girl.

"I wasn't allowed to drink back at home," Lio said and thought of the parties she had ignored this rule at with an inward smile. All of the exotic wines had always made her sick. "My father didn't like drunken women."

Lio closed her mouth before she could say anything else. There was no need to bore Hadvar with her stories. And she really didn't need to give her identity away to another person. Veralene's scornful face popped into her mind and Lio knew she would have to talk to her eventually to make sure she wouldn't turn to Moricyan. But that was a worry for another day.

The little girl had run downstairs. Hadvar didn't seem to mind.

"I'm going to lay up here for a while. You can make your own way to Solitude from here. Well, of course after you're done talking to Jarl Balgruuf. You can take a carriage from Whiterun," he said and took a sip of his mead. Lio's finger was absentmindedly trailing the mead bottle's mouth.

"To become a legionnaire? You really think I should become one?"

Hadvar smiled at her. "Of course! Today wasn't probably the best introduction to the Legion, but give us another chance. The Legion could really use someone like you, especially now. And if the rebels have themselves a dragon, General Tullius is the only one who could stop them."

"Do you think the General knows where the dragon came from?"

"No. Not yet. After all, a dragon... something out of the old tales and legends... No one could have expected that. But you can bet he'll be trying to figure it out. This could shift the whole balance of the war. If you want to help stop that dragon, your best is to go to Solitude and join up with the Legion."

Lio mulled over what he had offered.

"Sorry, but this isn't my fight. I'm just a simple citizen, I'm no dragon slayer," she said, frowning. Hadvar was about to argue, but Lio interrupted him, "This even isn't the land I wanted to stay in. I've never even had a reason to fight before coming to Skyrim. I don't have a reason now either."

"But you helped me. You have the will and strength in you to help others. Even one soldier can make a difference in a war this big. Help us out. The Legion is Skyrim's only hope right now." Hadvar seemed certain of what he had said and a strong willfulness appeared in his eyes. Lio nodded slowly, unsure what to say. She drained the bottle of honey and apple mead. She was done with this conversation and soon enough, Hadvar's hopeful expression faded. He nodded then at nothing and stood up.

"I think you should get some rest if you're going to Whiterun soon. I think we have some spare furs somewhere on which we could sleep," he said.

"Uh... Thank you," she mumbled. Sleeping in a bed definitely seemed more appealing than on the cold stone floor, especially so when her muscles were sore and her skin bruised, but she didn't seem to have an option. The two beds were meant for the family and not the two of them.

Lio descended the stairs to the cellar and left Hadvar alone. The air downstairs was a bit cooler.

Sigrid and her daughter were sitting and talking quietly. When Lio approached they straightened and turned to look at her.

"I heard the door close. Did my husband go to work in the middle of the night again?" Sigrid asked a bit crossly, but an embarrassed smile appeared on her lips.

"It sounded like that, yep," Lio laughed and Sigrid sighed faintly, the smile still on her face.

"He's going to wake the whole town up." She stood and went up the stairs. Lio heard the front door open and close.

"Hi! My name is Dorthe," the small girl said in her small and squeaky voice.

Lio had never liked children. The girls in Jehenna always touched her hair and dresses when she told them not to. They never listened. They dragged Lio around, showing her pointless things around the town. They shoved their toys to Lio, only reminding her of her bitter, toyless and friendless childhood. Those ventures always ended with Lio getting scolded by his father for leaving his side and so she was scornful towards obnoxious little children.

"Did you really see a dragon?" Dorthe asked without waiting for Lio's introduction. Lio kept herself from sighing and nodded reluctantly. Dorthe's face lit up and she grinned, amazed by the terrifying ancient creature. Only the thought of the black mass made shivers crawl up Lio's spine.

"Wow…" Dorthe mumbled in awe and, yet again, without waiting for an answer, she skipped off upstairs, leaving Lio alone. She heard Dorthe's and Hadvar's voices speaking softly and soon enough she heard them wish each other good night. The front door opened and closed and now Sigrid's and Alvor's voices entered the household. They wished their daughter and Hadvar good night as well. Hadvar slowly stepped down the stairs with a calm smile on his face. Everything went quiet upstairs.

"Let me get our beddings out," Hadvar said quietly. He pulled out folded furs and skins from a chest and laid them out on the floor.

"Take your pick," he said and turned around, unbuckling the leathery straps of his armor. Lio tore her eyes from the undressing man and touched the furs. She pulled a lamb pelt and deer pelt from the pile and settled them on the floor. For a second she threw a sideways glance at Hadvar, who wasn't as naked as she had feared him to be – for a girl like her, seeing naked men was something of an adolescent dream. It was scary, but exciting. She had only seen some workers topless back in Jehenna and that was the akward peak of her experience with men. Her dreams remained dreams. She sighed and hid her blush behind her hair.

His chest was bare and he had long pants on. His muscles were toned finely. She could see the many years of fighting marked in his skin. His skin was covered in many small and large white stripes and marks – scars. He had bruises here and there and his hands were calloused.

Lio coughed a bit awkwardly. Hadvar almost jumped around to look at her, as if he hadn't noticed her presence.

"Oh. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I've been in the army for so long, you see. Haven't been home in a while," he mumbled and scratched the back of his neck. A light blush was on his cheeks. Lio nodded and pointlessly moved her pelts around to avoid the awkwardness between them.

He pulled some pelts from the pile and settled down a bit further from Lio.

"Take the rest, I don't need them," he said, nodding at the furs and skins. Lio grabbed them thankfully and put them down to soften her slumber. When she finally looked at Hadvar, he had already slipped between the pelts and turned his back at her.

Slowly she unbuckled her own armor and let it slide down her body. She stepped out of it and took off her boots. Then, for just a moment, she stood in her undergarments in the cold cellar air, relishing the feeling. It was a new experience for her, something she imagined would resemble the feeling of being released from bounds after a day of being imprisoned. The cool air calmed her hot and painful skin. New black and purple spots were on her body now, the old already gone thanks to the potions she had used up. A few scrapes were there and here, but there weren't any serious wounds on her for her to worry. The three wounds on her cheek were a bother, but she hoped for the potions to do the work. For good measure, she emptied one.

Lio slid under the pelts after putting out the remaining candles. The pelts warded off the coolness of the floor and Lio felt daily stress leaving her body.

"Night," she mumbled and Hadvar answered with the same in an already sleepy voice.

Body tired, but mind lively, Lio thought before falling asleep. A few days ago she had wondered if living would be possible in Skyrim. Just a few days ago she had held a weapon for the first time in her life. She hadn't even dared to look at wounds in the past. A few days ago, she had been afraid of the many ways she could die. Now, she was the one doing the killing. It had been a question of survival most of the time, except for a passing moment when Lio had killed a wolf. She had felt the joy of victory and the strength of having power over another's life. These feelings were bewildering and most unwelcome.

Lio was changing and she wasn't sure, if for the better.


	9. Chapter 9

**Finally, Gorr enters the scene! I left as much of the Interesting NPCs mod's dialogue the same as possible, because I wanted to share the mod's goodness. Enjoy!**

**Also, school is over so more chapters incoming. I've re-read this story a couple of times and decided I need to end it soon. There'll probably be a follow-up. **

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9.

Lio awoke to an intense pain in her legs and arms. Her shoulder blades were numb and cold. She raised her head off the ground. It was light upstairs already. Hadvar's muffled snores sounded in the cellar. Half of Lio's body was on the stone floor, making her already aching muscles cold and stiff.

Quiet sounds came from upstairs and a scent of beef stew made her stomach growl. She got up and found a blue linen dress with a leathery corset on a nearby cupboard and realized that Sigrid must have put it there. It seemed too large for her, but she put it on anyway and tied the large corset as tightly together as possible. Lio then went upstairs, finding Sigrid making food by the fireplace.

"Good day," Sigrid said with a happy smile. Lio rubbed her eyes and tied her hair into two buns again.

"Day?" she asked and fell on the closest chair.

"Yes. I thought it would be good to let you two sleep more. It's already midday. I'll get you some stew right away," Sigrid said and grabbed a bowl from a cupboard. She handed Lio the bowl after filling it and Lio thanked her.

"I see, even that dress is too large for you. I thought that you would like a change of clothes if you were going to repair your armour. That dress is something I've kept for Dorthe from my younger days, but you're such a small person. Nothing in this house will fit you," Sigrid mused and Lio nodded while slurping her stew.

"Alvor is waiting for you outside at the forge. Do wake Hadvar up before you leave, please. I can finally go out to buy supplies now." Sigrid almost skipped to a basket, took it with her and stepped out of the front door. The bright lights outside made Lio wince.

After finishing her meal, Lio made her way back to Hadvar. His snores were muffled by the pelts on him and he scratched himself in his sleep. Lio nudged him until his eyes opened, told him to go upstairs, grabbed her armour and hurried out of the house.

The heavy rhythmic sound of hammer on hot steel sounded through the village. The old woman and young man from yesterday were at the same house again, chatting. A young boy and a dog ran past Alvor's house, the boy talking to the beast. A blonde wood elf with a bow strapped to his back walked past too, glaring at the other young man.

"Faendal," the young man said, his voice bitter and his eyes narrow.

"Sven," the wood elf replied with a small nod, voice as remorseless as Sven's. The old lady behind Sven was oblivious to it all and stared up at the skies.

"How are you doing, Hilde?" Faendal asked the lady with a smile.

"Very good. Did you know I saw a dragon yesterday?" she asked, a clever smirk on her wrinkly face. Faendal fell into an easy conversation with her; all the while Sven never turned his hateful eyes from them.

"Well there," a raspy voice sounded from Lio's right and she looked at the forge, where Alvor held a hammer and a red, scorched piece of steel. He motioned for Lio to come forward. Slowly she stepped to him, while he hammered the steel with sparks flying. She kept her dress from the fire while she watched his handiwork, mesmerized. Alvor moved the hammer with ease, as if it was feather-light. The metal was bending and changing with each hit, and soon Lio recognized the shape of a thin long sword.

"Did you just come to watch, or shall we learn something today?" he asked amicably. She snapped out of her trance and stuttered.

"I'd like to repair my armour," she said and he nodded, giving finishing touches to the blade. The sword was ready. Already Alvor was cooling the metal in water, steam rising and a strong hiss emanating. After he placed the blade on a rack, he turned to Lio, wiping his brow with his sooty hands.

"Give it here," Alvor said and Lio did as told. Alvor examined the piece, looking inside and outside, studying the bent and broken parts. Soon his face lit up with excitement.

They spent almost half of the day talking about leather and iron, although Alvor had said that Lio's armour was actually made from ebony, leather and a quality hide. He, however, didn't possess any ebony, as the metal was rare and expensive, so all he could teach Lio was how to patch holes with leather and hide, how to sew together heavy and thick pieces that normally would be impossible to pierce without a very sharp sword. The trick was in using the right chemical ingredients to soften the material before. He also showed Lio the basics to using the tanning rack, grindstone, forge and workbench, to shaping blades and sword hilts, to forging helmets, gauntlets and chest pieces. He also taught her how to fix metal bents and holes with simple iron pieces.

By the end of her lessons, Lio couldn't almost feel her muscles. She got her _expensive_ armour back, now almost fixed, changed into it and thanked Alvor for all he had done for her. She also got her two swords repaired and sold her axe and other miscellaneous things.

"I do encourage you to leave for Whiterun as soon as you can. If you need more rest, then of course you're welcome to stay at our house. Or if you would like to sleep in a bed and if you have the gold, then you can go to the local inn called the Sleeping Giant Inn. Delphine and Orgnar run it and I know them, so I could make sure that you would be treated in the best way possible," Alvor said, turning to grab an iron ingot and hammer.

"I think a room of my own would be best right now. Do say a word for me; a soft bed would definitely help with my wounds. I want to be in the best shape when I'm going to travel," she said and after they exchanged nods, she turned to leave the forge.

A blonde long-haired Nord woman left a house with a sign declaring "Sleeping Giant Inn" with a smile on her face. She noticed Lio soon enough and stopped her mid-step.

"Hello there, stranger!" she greeted and wiped her hands in the sleeves of her green dress.

"I saw you forging with Alvor there. Are you a traveller, perhaps?"

Lio thought for a second before deciding on what to say.

"My name is Lio. I come here from High Rock."

The woman nodded slowly at her, measuring her from head to toe.

"I'm Gerdur, the owner of the local mill. Are you looking for a job?" she asked.

"I have urgent business in Whiterun, but after I'm done there I'll be searching for employment, true. Do you have anything to offer me?"

"It depends on what your qualities are. I have enough workers at the mill. Alvor could use an apprentice, though, and from what I could tell you did fine at blacksmithing. Lucan over in the Riverwood Trader says thieves broke into his store. Strange, he says they hardly took anything. You could ask him if he needs help."

Lio nodded slowly, already planning her day ahead. Gerdur also told Lio to go to the Riverwood Trader in case she needed supplies. Lio thanked her and both of them went in their own directions. Dorthe was sitting on the bank of the river and Lio thought it better not to talk to her. She saw the mill Gerdur had been talking about before. Faendal and some other men were working at the mill.

A man sporting heavy armour covered in a yellow cloth and bound by belts, a helmet and a shield with the painted image of a horse on it walked past Lio. She couldn't tell where he was looking, but the heavy feeling of being watched made her sure it was the man. These armoured men were the local guards, who strolled through Riverwood all day.

Lio entered Riverwood Trader. A brown-haired woman was standing and was with narrowed eyes at a man behind the counter. He seemed frustrated by her and neither of the two noticed Lio entering. The cupboards behind the man were filled with potions and food and Lio felt her stomach grumble. A warm hearth was burning in the middle of the room.

"Well, one of us has to do something!" the woman said, tones of annoyance in her voice.

"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!" he yelled back, obviously tired of whatever they were discussing.

"Well what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it!" she wouldn't let go and pressed on. He rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"We are done talking about this." Noticing Lio just then, he continued, "Oh, a customer. Sorry you had to hear that."

The other woman turned on her heel and almost stomped to a nearby chair.

"I don't know what you overheard, but the Riverwood Trader is still open. I'm Lucan Valerius, owner of the place. Feel free to shop," he said casually, leaning against the counter.

"Did something happen?" Lio asked curiously.

"Yes, we did have a bit of a… break-in. But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold. In the shape of a dragon's claw."

A light blinked in Lio's head.

"I could help you get it back."

"You could? I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring my claw back." Lio nodded and the girl on the chair livened up.

Lio could barely hide her cringe. This wasn't going according to plan. She hadn't meant to do this. Cursing her big mouth, a thought occurred to her. It couldn't be _too_ difficult to steal something back. Lio was small and unnoticeable. A gold ornament has a hefty price and bringing back something so valuable would mean a big reward. Maybe a new plan was good after all.

"Now if you're going to get those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, north-" he said, but Lio nodded already.

"I know where it is."

"Oh. That settles that then."

Lucan and the girl were talking about something. She was obviously pleased with the way things had developed. Lio did her shopping quickly. She took potions, a journal, pencil and food and placed them on the counter before Lucan, oblivious to the two's chat. She took out most of the loot from recent travels that Alvor hadn't wanted. The girl was answering Lucan, and most Lio cared to make out of it was "guide". Lio was lucky, she had found a volunteer companion. Lucan wanted to argue, but finally seemed to agree with the girl's decision. She stood up, her posture proud and Lucan rolled his eyes. Lio and Lucan made their trades and she followed the girl out of the building.

Hastily scribbling down her quest into her new journal, Lio almost bumped into the girl. Any negotiation about the start of the quest on Lio's part failed – the girl was already buzzing with excitement. Lio had no option but to cooperate.

"We have to go through town and across the bridge to get to Bleak Falls Barrow," the girl said, almost skipping down the road. For a moment Lio considered sneaking away while the girl wasn't looking, but before Lio could attempt anything, the girl had already turned around and was waving for her to move along. She pointed toward the mountain that Hadvar and Lio had seen before.

"You can see it from here, that mountain just over the buildings." Lio nodded, trying to conjure up an enthusiastic smile too, but the girl's glee and eagerness was beginning to get annoying. Lio's face just twisted and she gave up, focusing her worsening mood on preparing instead.

"Those thieves must be mad, hiding out there. Those old crypts are filled with nothing but traps, trolls, and who knows what else!" She occasionally turned to look if Lio was still following, not giving her a moment to escape. Lio kept up appearances as best as she could, trying to make it seem as if what the girl had said didn't matter at all.

"I'm Camilla Valerius, by the way."

"Lio."

Camilla looked back, a confused smile on her face.

"Just Lio?"

"Yes."

"Very well, Lio." Camilla smiled again. "I wonder why they only stole Lucan's golden claw. I mean, we have plenty of things in the shop that are worth just as much coin. Lucan found the claw about a year after he opened the store. He never quite explained where he got it. He's a tricky one."

Lio stayed quiet. They had walked past the inn and were near a stone bridge that crossed the river Lio had washed herself in before.

"This is the bridge out of town. The path up the mountain to the northwest leads to Bleak Falls Barrow. I guess I should get back to my brother. He'll throw a fit if I take too long," Camilla giggled. "Such a child."

"How much further is it?" Lio asked, ignoring most of Camilla's banter.

"Well, it's a winding road up the mountain just ahead. You'll know you're in the right place once you spot the old watchtower. Once you get to the tower, head north. Bleak Falls Barrow should be just around the corner further up."

Camilla stared at Lio expectantly. For a moment Lio just stood there, but then she nodded and turned to cross the bridge, forcing a smile as she went.

"Good luck. Lucan and I will be waiting for you back in the shop," Camilla shouted after her and turned back to the road to Riverwood. Once she was out of sight, Lio sat on the edge of the bridge.

Sighing, she thought things over. Trolls and traps had never crossed Lio's mind. She wasn't really ready to face anything. An option would have been to return to town and explain why, that she had come to find someone to fight by her side. But Lio had nothing to offer for help and thus, that option was pointless.

"Stupid freedom of speech," Lio mumbled, pushed herself up and crossed the bridge.

"A promise is not to be broken" was a thought that Lio had held dear since she was a kid. Also, being the daughter of a nobleman had its quirks, one of them being honour. She didn't want to be indebted to Lucan. She'd rather die a fool in some catacomb than go back and be branded a coward and self-indulgent. If she was going to die, it was going to be out of her own sheer stupidity. Her resolve made, Lio made her way towards the mountain on the other side of the river.

Someone was sitting on a stump next to the road. Lio came to a full stop in front of the man, struck by his looks and the atmosphere.

He was dark-skinned, a Redguard. He was looking down at his iron Warhammer, picking at it nonchalantly. His dark hair was shaved on the sides of his head and the top was dreadlocked and smoothed over his head. His face was strongly structured, his cheekbones protruding. He had a tied goatee, but unlike with many other men, it only made him more handsome. Lines of red warpaint were painted from his forehead down to his cheeks and a small line on his lower lip. His hazel eyes looked up to Lio and a small, crooked smile bent his war paint.

"You in need of a companion, friend? If so, then you're in luck," he exclaimed, his arms wide. Shudders ran over Lio's skin. His voice was deep and husky like thunder.

"I reckon I've killed more men then there are minutes in a day," he said, his voice slow and arrogant. Lio blinked at him, her legs refusing to cooperate and let her escape.

"You've killed more than 1440 men?" she asked, trying to sound sceptical, but instead her voice came out as small squeaks.

"That few, huh? At this rate, I guess I better change it to seconds then." He laughed, the sound reminding Lio a far-away thunderstorm. "But who's counting?"

The bear-like man inspected his weapon again. Lio smirked.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Gorr. And what might be yours, adventurer?"

"I wouldn't exactly brand myself an adventurer. I'm Lio."

"Well met, Lio!" Gorr thundered.

"How have you managed to kill so many men?" Lio asked and he laughed again, causing another wave of shudders run over Lio's skin.

"It's all in the hips, friend. Killing a bandit is like making love to a maiden. It only takes a second, and there's no shortage of blood," he answered, a glint in his eyes.

Lio was speechless for a moment. She swallowed bile. Why wasn't she running away already?

Gorr's gaze was on her, inspecting and almost challenging, and a faint proud smile remained on his lips. Lio coughed weakly and conjured a clever smile to her lips.

"Perhaps… you need a smaller weapon?" she asked. She had never said something so _dirty_ before.

He laughed once again. "Then I wouldn't kill as many bandits, or bed so many maidens."

But being dirty did kind of feel _exciting_.

"Where did you learn to fight?"

"I got my start as a pit dog in the Imperial City Arena. Worked my way up to Gladiator before I got bored and quit. They say the best techniques are left by the survivors. With me gone, I guess everyone will have something to offer."

Lio hadn't even noticed how she'd sat down, now cross-legged, before Gorr.

"Gladiator, huh? Right," she answered sceptically, but she was impressed. Without even seeing his skills, Lio already knew this man was the strongest she had ever met. Not even Hadvar, the bulky imperial, seemed to come close to Gorr's level. The way Gorr presented himself and the tone of his voice were all too genuine and Lio found herself taking in his each word with curiosity.

"Impressive, right? And I would've been Grand Champion too, if not for the burden." Before Lio could answer, he already continued. "Oh, I know what you're thinking. Fair maidens in my bed, and good stew in my belly. Some burden. Well, that ain't what I'm talking about."

"Do explain."

"Well, friend," at the last word, a slight smile passed Lio's lips, "it all comes down to who your opponent is. I'm square with killing men, but with a Grand Champion, ain't no more men to fight. So they bring in beasts. Minotaurs and things. Don't like it one bit. If a man chooses to enter the arena, it's what you call his prerogative. A beast ain't got no say in the matter. I kill horkers for food, and bears for hides. I don't kill no animal for sport."

Lio nodded slowly. She had never heard much of the arena before and another curious question already slipped past her lips.

"Why did you become one? An Arena fighter, I mean."

"Why not? You need to get out more, friend. The Arena is the most celebrated spectacle in all of Tamriel. To fight and die in the Arena is a great honour. To fight and live, well, do that and you carve your name amongst the Gods."

Lio tried to imagine a fight in the arena with people cheering around the ring at the spilled blood.

"Why…" she paused and gathered herself. "Why is it so popular?"

"'Cause it's fair. It's about the only place you can truly measure a man's worth. If I asked the folks here who has the best mead in Skyrim, one person might say Black-Briar mead. Another might vouch for Honningbrew. If I asked for the best alchemist, bard, or scribe, or which inn was warmest, and which wench the sweetest, there'd be many replies, but no answer. Ah, but if I asked you who was the strongest, who could best any man in the pit, there'd be no debate. You'd know by who was left standing. Only in the Arena can a man be judged by his own merits."

His point was solid, but the fun factor of seeing a life and death fight still seemed unreasonable. For a man of his calibre he sure did seem to like philosophizing a lot.

"But… What did the people find in it all? The appetite for bloodsport couldn't have been high after the war."

"You're mistaken. It couldn't have been higher. The people were hungry, not for blood, but for entertainment. The Arena, friend, was a welcome diversion from the throes of war. Because there's no death in the Arena. Not for them." A frown appeared on his tanned face, one that gave reason to think there was more to this man than the eye can see.

"If you're a spectator, ain't nothing that happens in that pit real. It's all a game," he said, ending his thought solemnly.

"How is it? How is it fighting in the Arena?" Lio asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"The words won't do it justice, not mine, anyway. But you can imagine, can't you? The moment when you stand behind the gate, in a cold sweat. The air's so thick you can taste the blood. The crowd is buzzing. The flies are buzzing. Then they wheel up the iron. You hear this... roar. So loud it rumbles in your chest. You don't know who they cheer for. What they cheer for. Victory, glory, or death." His last words fell as he looked away, his deep voice fading and his face unreadable.

In the next moment he lightened up, inhaling, and continued: "But that's the beauty of the Arena, ain't it? Nothing's ever written, nothing's ever known. The Grand Champion can win a hundred matches and name a skeever as his next opponent, and the audience will still hold their breath. Unlike the stories, it's always a surprise when the hero winds. 'Cause in the Arena, the hero's allowed to fail."

"You did just say that you don't kill animals for sport," Lio said. Gorr laughed.

"That I did, and I stay true to my word. I never named any animals as my opponent. You ought to travel to Cyrodiil sometime, friend, and test your valour."

"Interesting idea. I've ever only killed spiders and wolves, but I'm sure I'd manage," she replied with irony and he smirked.

"I thought for sure that you were the fighter type. There's something about you," he said, his one eye narrowing as he measured her up and down.

"Brilliant armour, right?" Lio answered and Gorr laughed his thunder laugh again.

"True enough, friend. You don't get to see ebony armour just anywhere." He had put his Warhammer down against the stump and stretched his arms with a grin.

"What brought you to Skyrim?" she continued her array of questions, not giving him a break.

"Horkers, my friend, the horkers! I can't get enough of a good bowl of horker stew. Fresh garlic, tomatoes, a sprinkle of lavender…" Lio shuddered.

"It sounds delicious except for the horker part." She hadn't even thought of their meat before. It couldn't possibly be compared to tender duck or lamb. Nothing good could come from horkers.

"You jest, but there's nothing like good horker stew. It ain't like the loaf, which is a bit chewy and marinated in that ocean flavour. But you put that in a stew, toss in a little garlic, and all that ocean brine melts into pure flavour."

The ocean didn't remind Lio of anything beautiful either. She tried to keep the frown from her face.

"You're in the wrong place. I'm pretty sure Riverwood isn't the horker capital of Skyrim," she answered.

"That isn't it. You see, I've tried stews of all different flavours from all over Tamriel. I've tried your venisons and your steaks. I've tried your bug meat, your hoarver pies and chaurus nuggets. Some Wood Elf charlatan even tried to sell me what he called a wyvern steak, but it tasted like a mountain goat. I've tried every meat from Summerset Isle to the shores of Solstheim, and ain't nothing compare to a fresh pot of horker stew. But you know what I haven't tried? I haven't tried a dragon. And call me crazy, but I think I saw one fly this way not long ago."

Another dismaying memory popped up in her head. An obvious frown now appeared on Lio's face, but he didn't seem to notice as he looked at the skies far away, as if searching for the creature of legends.

"There was a dragon in Helgen. You probably saw that one," she said.

"You don't say," Gorr answered, a victorious tone in his voice. "Sounds like Embry owes me a drink. Said I was more likely to see a horker with wings." He laughed. "I reckon _that_ would be too good to be true."

"Who's Embry?"

"A local drunk. Stays over at the inn."

"Is that where you stay too?"

Gorr nodded.

"What are you doing out here?" Lio asked. He grabbed his warhammer into his hands, almost smacking Lio to the face. She scooted a bit further away from him, deciding her life was still dear to her.

"I was just going this way." He pointed behind him with his thumb. "Ran into some wolves, though."

"This way? Maybe you could go _that_ way with me?" she asked, pointing up the hill. Gorr laughed.

"I need some help with a quest of mine. If you're worried, it involves _lots _of fighting."

This was Lio's grand plan. If she could make Gorr follow her, then she could probably make it through Bleak Falls Barrow without a scrape. He didn't seem witty enough to betray her. Not that there would be any reason to betray her – she had nothing. Luckily Gorr didn't seem to be interested in any rewards and Lio decided not to bring up the topic either.

"Helping a fair maiden like you is always a pleasure. And getting to fight while doing it? That's even better," he laughed.

"Who told you I'm a fair maiden, huh?" Lio laughed, a faint blush stinging her cheeks.

"It was a very correct guess." He stood up, holding his Warhammer over his shoulder, a smile on his face. Lio walked past him and brushed his shoulder with her hand, beckoning him to follow.

"Let's go, Gladiator."


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long delay! This was a tough one. Describing dungeons... I'm glad that's over. Might cut this into two parts later. Enjoy!**

* * *

10.

The road twisted and turned between rocks and high land and the higher they went, the less green there was. Occasionally there were neat little piles of stones laid out on the edge of the road. Gorr and Lio were quiet most of the way. She had lost any desire to chit-chat and focused on the bigger troubles waiting ahead instead.

Lio turned to look at the view on their right – the mountains far away that bordered Skyrim were touching the skies with their snowy tips. The sky was growing darker, the sun painting stones, trees and land orange. High spruce forests were poking out between the mountains. Light puffs of clouds swam around the tops of the trees like fog on a hayfield. Looking straight, a high tower made of grey stone was slowly appearing at the end of the road, and once Gorr noticed it, his face lit up.

"Finally! Some action!" he yelled and grabbed his warhammer from his back and readied it. Yells sounded in the tower and a couple of armoured men ran out, wielding their blades and yelling challenges to Gorr and Lio. Lio unsheathed her weapons and ran into battle after her companion.

Gorr was as skilled as he had boasted. The bandits were like ants before him, crushed by his mighty hammer within seconds. He swept them away, the cracks of their breaking bones piercing the air. Lio didn't even have time to blink before Gorr was already inside the tower. Unfamiliar voices cried out in pain and loud thumps and bangs echoed in the air. Lio ran in after Gorr, but only found two more dead bandits. Gorr was looking at them with a frown.

"Only _four_? Bandits these days ain't got the guts they used to," he whined and poked a body with the tip of his boot. Lio wanted to wince away, but ignored her turning stomach and willed her face to stay emotionless.

"You'll get more, believe me," she said and made her way to the very top of the tower. It didn't have a roof and the floor were covered in a layer of snow. A last set of stairs brought her to a little crow's nest, where she could see over the edge of the tower. She looked around, mesmerized once again by the view. The magnificent and tall trees, massive and high mountains took her breath away and even snow did nothing to ruin the view.

Lio's third lockpicking attempt went far better than before. The lock wasn't complex and she broke only a couple of lockpicks before getting the lock off and tossing it away.

"Need any help, friend?" Gorr's voice thundered from downstairs and she refused him. She was already halfway down the stairs, a purse of shingling gold in her hand. She hopped down, skipping the last stairs and he smiled slightly. They left the tower.

"This wasn't Bleak Falls Barrow yet, now was it?" Lio asked and Gorr chuckled, the first soft laughter she heard from him.

"No, not yet. I'll take you to it." He took up front, leading them around rocks onto a tight road. A blizzard was beginning to develop in those heights, but thankfully Lio's newly-repaired armor protected her from the cold. She delighted in the warmness of it and almost couldn't bear to look at Gorr, who was wearing sleeveless armor and only what seemed like a light tunic underneath it. He didn't seem to be affected by the temperature at all.

Lio could only see his profile and noticed a smile. He turned the corner. Then Lio turned after him and saw what he had been grinning at.

"Here we are," he said and threw an amused sideways glance at Lio. She stood beside him, her mouth completely open and eyes wide.

The Barrow was magnificent and so much more close up. It stood right before the top of the mountain, which was casting long shadows over the huge structure. The Barrow itself was of stones shaped into long and thin arches. The arches, most broken down, formed a hallway around the stairs that led to the Barrow's entryway. Half-arches were standing along the way to the main structure; on some of them were eagle head statues. On the main arches stood long figures of more birds, facing away from the Barrow itself, as if to keep an eye out.

They walked up the stairs, toward the grand arches. A few bodies were laying around here and there, some torn up and bleeding. Their wounds were fresh. Gorr and Lio shared a look and pulled out their weapons. A bandit was standing at the end of the grand stairs. Lio quietly moved in on him, grasping her swords tightly. Suddenly Gorr, ignoring Lio's attempt at sneaking, roared and brought his huge hammer down on the man. The sound of his skull and spine breaking echoed through the air and he crumpled down, gasping his final breaths. Gorr smiled proudly.

"Hey, I wanted to sneak!" Lio moaned, trying her best to look courageous.

"I might have noticed, I might have not. I'll leave some of them for you too, don't worry," he said, his voice slightly mocking. Lio half-scoffed and Gorr smiled crookedly.

Another bandit had noticed them. She charged at Gorr, screaming, but before her strike could land, he stepped aside, as if he was playing around with a kid. An angry blush appeared on her face and Gorr shrugged at her, laughing. He pointed at Lio, who was standing behind her, with a playful smile. The bandit whirled around, confused, and before she could react, Lio punched her nose in. Gorr stood by, his arms folded and his chin raised, gaze measuring the events unfolding before him. Lio waved her hand around, hissing in pain.

"That wasn't a good idea," she mumbled and blew on her fist. Gorr's hearty laugh filled the archway. The bandit had recovered and was touching her tilted nose. Then she roared in anger and spat blood. She raised her sword and attacked Lio from above. Lio blocked it barely, the heavy hit overpowering her weak muscles. Lio had forgotten to rest and now the ache of all the past days was getting to her. They pulled away from each other, but Lio didn't have time to breathe as the bloodied woman swung at her from the side. She hit Lio and the shock wave of the blast rippled through her and made her gasp for air. Thankful for the multi-layered ebony armour that had stopped the hit before it split her ribs, Lio got up. One of her swords dropped to the ground and her free hand grabbed her aching side.

The bandit spat and struck again. Lio evaded and circled her, her sword protectively between them. This time Lio attacked and punctured her unguarded leg. The bandit screamed in pain and fell to her knees, grabbing at her thigh. Lio stood before her, gasping and looking down on her.

With a heavy arm Lio pointed her blade at the bandit's neck. Still gasping for air, Lio stood there and stared down at the crying woman, gripping the hilt of her imperial blade. Her fingers scratched at the leather and her muscles contracted, but fought against her will. The blade shook and quivered in her hands and she bit into her lower lip.

"Kill me already if you're going to do it," the bandit slurred through the blood. Forcing her eyes closed, Lio tried one more time to end the bandit's sufferings, but once again nothing happened. Then Lio hit the ground and the bandit was grappling her, keeping her down. Lio struggled to push her away, but her strength greatly overpowered hers. The next moment, the bandit's weight was already gone and Lio opened her eyes to see the woman on the ground and Gorr looming over her. Lio pushed herself up and past Gorr, back to ground zero. She took her sword and pointed it back at the bandit's neck, ignoring the woman's that burned into hers.

Lio willed her hand to move. Then she tried again and again, until the bandit's angry gasps disappeared into background buzz and there was nothing in Lio's mind but her inner turmoil.

Sudden sounds of steps ringed in her ears. Gorr was standing next to the bandit now, his eyes staring straight into Lio's unfocused, glossy ones. His strong look brought Lio right back into reality and she dropped her sword.

"If you're planning to survive in this land, friend, then you better get used to killing," Gorr said.

"Look away." Lio looked at him, confused.

"Turn around."

Lio plainly did as she was told. She could hear the bandit's cries get louder for a short moment and faint shuffling. Then her voice was cut and with a thump Lio heard her body fall.

"That was a good fight," Gorr's voice sounded. He patted Lio's back heavily and stepped past her, disappearing behind an engraved stone wall in the middle of the archway. Lio was wide awake now and sighed.

"Coward," she mumbled to herself.

She drank a healing potion and felt the pain in her ribcage and in her limbs lessen. After picking up her second sword Lio followed in the steps of Gorr and found him on the other side of the stone wall. He was standing before the entrance of the Barrow. It was a double door, metallic, wide and as high as the archways. The metal was engraved with thousands of small details and two huge dragon heads that were facing away from each other. After Gorr and Lio nodded to each other, together they tore one of the doors open enough for them to press through.

They stepped into what looked like a huge cave. There were stony, tiled pillars from the high ceiling to the ground. Everything smelled of decay and moss. Dead skeevers and bandits were laying around.

"We have to sneak," Lio said and Gorr reluctantly nodded. They crouched down and hid behind a pillar in the middle of the room. Two bandits were at the end of the cave around a fire, talking.

"That dark elf wants to go on ahead, let him. Better than us risking our necks," the man said and stirred something in a kettle over the fire. The sweet smell of soup reached Lio and Gorr and she heard both her and Gorr's stomach's grumble quietly.

"What if Arvel doesn't come back? I want my share from that claw!" the woman answered and folded her arms.

"Just shut it and keep an eye out for trouble," the man answered with a finality in his voice, which seemed to choke down the woman's next retort.

Lio's brain was working in hectic ways. They could sneak around the camp and attack both bandits behind their backs. Maybe they could distract them somehow and then attack…

Gorr's leg slipped on some loose rocks. He shrugged apologetically.

"I'm not the sneaking type," he whispered to the fuming Lio.

"What was that?" a bandit hissed and took out her weapons, as did the man. They slowly sneaked towards the centre of the cave, looking around corners and checking places suitable for hiding. They parted and passed by the pillar that Gorr and Lio were hiding behind.

"Now!" Lio yelled and together with Gorr they jumped out of the shadow of the pillar to their enemies, who jerked back in surprise.

The male bandit was Lio's opponent. He was wielding a huge double sided axe and was directing it at her head. If the hit would have landed, it would have sliced her in two. She jumped out of the way and in a flash circled around him, as he raised the heavy axe from the ground. Lio heard Gorr's grunt, but it faded and she quickly turned her attention back to her opponent and kicked him in his rear. He tumbled over, but was quickly back on his feet, the axe still in his hands.

"That was nothing!" he yelled and made a huge swing at Lio's side. She crouched and the axe missed her head, but cut a few of strands of her hair. She was up quickly, already skipping around him, evading the long and heavy moves of his axe with ease. Her light body moved fast, and while the man was swaying his axe through the air, she crouched under it and turned around to his exposed back. In the heat of the battle and without a single thought, she plunged her sword deep between his shoulder blades.

A dark, murky liquid burst out of the wound and covered her hands. Lio let go of the sword's hilt, staggered back and stared at her palms. The man fell to his knees, but her unfocused eyes couldn't lock onto him. Her hands shook as she turned them slowly, examining them as if she was seeing them for the first time.

Suddenly, someone's hand was on her shoulder. She had forgotten about the other fight. Lio whirled around and looked at the man in front of her. Gorr stood with a small smile on his face, his hands now holding her from collapsing.

"Let's go, fair maiden. We still have battles ahead of us," he said, pulling Lio along. She stared at him, dumbfounded once again.

"You… can leave. I'll go on by myself," she said and turned around, still a bit dazed.

"Now, now. I'm a man of my word and I will help you through this, as promised."

"But I'm dead weight. Don't waste your time here."

"Riverwood and horker stew can wait. This is much more exciting. Come on, friend." Lio nodded, a small smile creeping across her face.

Together they made their way onward. The crypt consisted of stony, circular tunnels with walls covered in ancient and eroded symbols. Spider webs and vines coated floors, walls and any furniture. The air was moist and stuffy. Lio emptied some chests of a few rings and satchels of gold.

They carefully made their way over the layers of vines. A thick mist of dust rose every time their feet touched the floor. The entire barrow was silent like a graveyard. Soon enough, when the first black, carved tombs started to appear, it was clear that the Barrow _was_ an actual graveyard.

An unusually well-lit room was before them. A man was standing guard at the door with his back turned to them. Gorr's eyes were on Lio, saying _"let __me_", but Lio took out one of her swords, slipped to the guard's back, and, with all her strength, hit the man in the back of his head with the sword's pommel. He gurgled and fell to the floor. Once he became motionless, Lio let out a shuddering breath. Gorr was standing behind her, ready to step in, but there was no need. Lio's look was one of determination.

The chamber they were in had a barred door in the opposite wall. Three alcoves were in the left wall, under which were triangular and carved rock shapes. They were on platforms and Lio noticed circular patterns in the dust around them. An animal was depicted on each of the three sides of the stones.

Over the barred entrance, in the wall were another two animal depictions. The middle had collapsed to the floor below. Unlike the others, these didn't stand on a platform, but were carved out of the ceiling. In the middle of the room was a lever.

Gorr went to pull down the lever, saying, "Let's see what happens."

"Stop," Lio said and Gorr's hands stilled on the lever right before pulling it down.

"These are movable," Lio assumed and grabbed around one of the statues on platforms. She gritted her teeth and tried turning it with all her strength, but it didn't budge. She grunted and tried again, but it wouldn't move an inch.

"Let me," Gorr said and turned the statue with remarkable ease to show the snake figure on one of the three sides.

"I knew it," she said victoriously.

"So what now?" Gorr asked, his face showing how clueless he was. Maybe he _was _as dumb as Lio as deemed him to be. A clever smile appeared on her lips. The upper stones were carved from left to right as followed: snake, snake and what seemed like a whale.

"Okay, listen here, Gorr," she said and he turned the stones as she commanded, till they were in the exact same order from left to right as the upper ones. She stepped to the lever, her mouth now a frightful thin line, and slowly pulled down the lever.

The iron bars in front of the door slid up and opened the entrance.

"Well done, friend!" Gorr led them onward.

On their way Lio found books and scrolls, which she decided to take with her, and emptied some old, dusty chests of their treasures. Gorr led them down many circular wooden stairs and through many more tunnels.

The tunnels ahead were full of spider webs. The webs stuck to her boots and made her want to gag. Even the sight of webs made her sick. A few skeevers were in their way, but it only took one swing and Gorr's had swept them all away. The empty metallic cupboards and clay pots were caked in webs. The air smelled sick and rotten. Lio emptied another healing potion to let the remaining damage in her side heal completely and maybe help remove the turning in her stomach, but the empty bottle slipped from her hand and the sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the whole tunnel.

"Is… is someone coming? Is that you Harknir? Bjorn? Soling?" a frantic voice yelled. Gorr and Lio shared a look.

The way was blocked by a thick wall of webs. Lio gritted her teeth and her lip curled in disgust, but she forced herself to move and cut through the sticky mass. It was strong and her weapons kept getting stuck. The blades she pulled back were covered in white sticky tangles.

"Stand back," Gorr said and broke the netting in one strong swing. He grunted and pulled his hammer back, now all white too.

"This will take days to clean," he mumbled as the Breton stormed past him.

Lio gripped her stomach. The huge room they had come to was coated in webs from ceiling to floor. Some pots, stuck between strings, were swinging in a weak wind gust that blew in through a hole in the ceiling. Shiny, wet and soft-looking spider eggs were everywhere, some slightly open and oozing revolting smells. A man was flailing around in thick netting covering another doorway at the other side of the room. He was a dark elf with a rather unlikeable face and was desperately trying to pull himself free. Lio started towards him. After two steps she recoiled and fell to the ground.

A huge spider, nothing Lio had ever imagined, slowly came down from the hole in the ceiling, its' huge feet making a soft thump as it landed on the floor. Its' huge mandibles moved up and down and it was looking at Lio and Gorr with its' multiple eyes. Its' huge, hairy and orange feet made soft scuttling noises as it moved closer to them.

Lio panicked. She tried to pull herself back and away from the foul creature. Her fingers gripped cool metal bars –she was on a trap door, a dark tunnel below her. The spider closed in and Lio crawled further away, praying for the trap door not to fall open, and didn't notice one of her swords slipping between the bars and down into the dark. With horror-filled eyes she stared at the spider closing in on her, poison dripping from its' mandibles.

Gorr grunted and crushed its' huge head with his hammer. It squirmed and screamed and flailed its' many legs around to get away from the man. In a flash it pounced and pinned Gorr to the ground. A deep grunt rumbling in his chest, Gorr tried to push off the spider's feet, but the arachnid trapped his arms using its' many limbs. It overwhelmed Gorr by sheer mass and they both cried out as they tried to hit each other without success. Lio stared at them in horror, immobile.

She then noticed the long blade wound in the back of the spider's hairy body, near the being's sting. With a grunt she pushed herself up from the floor, ignoring the cries of the dark elf, and pulled her remaining sword from spider webs. She stumbled backwards and after a short inhale, she jumped to the tangled mass of Gorr and the arachnid. Lio raised her blade above its' body as soon as Gorr was pushed back to the ground and she thrust it deep inside the spider's already swollen wound. It screamed in pain and skidded away from them, inevitably pulling Lio's sword from her hands, further widening the wound. The spider spat venom at Lio and would have hit, but at the last second Gorr ran and pushed her to a safe distance, letting the acid burn into his iron armour. Lio rolled and hit a wall, grunting.

Before she could regain her focus, Gorr was already across the room, pulling his hammer free from webbing. The spider was still squirming and shooting balls of venom when Gorr attacked again, directing his hammer to swoop its legs from underneath it. Lio pushed herself up and used the diversion to pull her sword from the spider's body. It hissed in pain again and pushed Gorr away, turning to Lio. She aimed the tip of her sword at its' multiple eyes and charged.

Lio had judged wrong – the being easily pushed her aside in the middle of her attack, as if it was swatting away a fly. She stumbled over her legs and fell in front of the arachnid, completely unguarded. With a hiss it pulled Lio's limp body up along the wall and started wrapping her in webs quickly, before the Breton could even realize what was happening.

"Help!" she shouted, but her voice was muted by the sticky strings that now covered half of her face. The whitening world kept turning and turning.

"_Help me_!" Lio panicked and wiggled between the spider's legs without any result. A glint of silvery steel flashed from the other side of the room – her sword. Then all became white.

The turning stopped and suddenly the ground greeted her side roughly. After a moment of dizziness she tried to squirm free. Someone's hands pushed her down and turned her body around, ignoring her muffled protests. A tip of a dagger pierced the whiteness suddenly, hovering dangerously close to Lio's nose bridge. Fresh air blew in through the cut and Lio inhaled, having not even noticed that she'd been holding her breath. The dagger tore the webbing from her face and Gorr's smirking face looked back at her.

"Welcome back, friend," Gorr said and Lio swiped away her tears, laughing. He helped tear the webs off her body, offered her his hand and pulled her up. As soon as she was up, she leaned over again. Her breakfast came up, the acidic aftertaste following. The giant spider lay dead not far from her.

"That was poor play," the dark elf supposed, cringing. He was still stuck in the webs, but seemed to had given up on struggling and was now tangling there as if he had a reason to. Lio glared at him from her position, but then looked back down when a shudder ran up her spine and another wave overcame her. Gorr stood before the elf with his web-covered hammer now over a shoulder. A glare on Gorr's part was all that was needed to destroy the elf's attitude and to make a small, mercy-begging smile appear. Gorr snickered. Once the elf looked as if he was never going to say a word again, Gorr returned to Lio, who was wiping her mouth.

"Disgusting being," she mumbled, sighing.

"The elf? Sure is. Did I tell you the story of an elf charlatan who tried to…" Gorr said, but Lio shook her head, grinning.

"I meant the spider."

"Oh."

"Don't leave me, for Arkay's sake!" the elf yelled behind them. Lio conjured up a smile and stepped closer to the elf, mock-inspecting him and the webs he was stuck in. Lio, who was much less scary than Gorr, only made the elf roll his eyes.

"Get me down! Get me down!" he insisted impatiently. His impatience turned into anger and he was about to say something, but as soon as Gorr moved behind Lio with a menacing gaze, he stuttered.

"You did it. You killed it," the elf praised them with a weak, trembling smile. "Now cut me down before anything else shows up."

"Where's the golden claw?" Lio asked, getting straight to business.

"Yes, the claw. I know how it works. The claw, the markings, the door in the Hall of Stories. I know how they all fit together! Help me down and I'll show you. You won't _believe_ the power the Nords have hidden there."

"Hand over the claw first!" she said. Lio knew better than to trust him. The elf rolled his eyes.

"Does it look like I can move? You have to cut me down."

Lio sighed. She walked over and took her sword from the ground and started cutting the elf down. Gorr joined in.

"It's coming loose! I can feel it!" the elf said excitedly. As soon as Lio cut the last strings and the elf dropped to the ground, he bolted into the entryway behind him.

"You fool, why should I share the treasure with anyone?" his voice echoed in the tunnels. Lio had had it for one day. She stormed after him without giving a look at Gorr.

"Wait!" Gorr thundered after her, but she was too fast.

The elf was always a few steps ahead of her. They ran through a half-circle shaped room filled with urns and pots and through tunnels that went down even deeper into the mountain. Her stamina was at its end and he was slipping away, running through the maze-like tunnels with remarkable speed. She raced down a set of stairs into a room full of holes in the walls. It took a moment for her to process what this place was.

It was a room full of graves. Inside the walls lay corpses and skeletons, decaying and rotting.

The elf was in the middle of the lowly lit room, disappearing behind a few pillars. He grunted and swung at something armoured. His enemy was decaying and rotting too. It was an undead.

The bodies of the dead rose from their graves, grabbed their chipped swords and raced into battle. Just as Gorr caught up with Lio, gasping for air, the elf was impaled. He fell to the ground, whimpering and clutching his stomach.

The dead turned to Lio and Gorr. In their empty and dried eye sockets shone blue lights, piercing the darkness. Their greyish, dusty and dry skin glowed in the lights from the fire bowls. Their almost teethless jaws dangled as they ran towards the two, swinging their dull swords and axes around in the air above their heads. Their old leather and steel armour clinked and their bare feet made soft noises as they ran.

"Draugr," Gorr hissed and Lio remembered what Hadvar had said. "_See that ruin up there? Bleak Falls Barrow. When I was a boy, that place always used to give me nightmares. Draugr creeping down the mountain to climb through my window at night, that kind of thing."_ These were the undead he had been talking about.

They looked a lot worse than Lio had imagined. She had imagined weak and almost decomposed beings, who could barely walk. Beings, who probably couldn't even hold a sword without their arms dropping off. These mummified Nords were strong and fearless, their armour still protecting their dried bodies and swords still serving them after many years. Lio stepped back and clashed with Gorr. She looked up at him and inhaled sharply.

His look was one of utter determination. He wasn't afraid of the beings. He gripped his warhammer and stormed into battle, kicking the draugrs left and right. His grunts filled the room and awoke more undead. Lio chased after him and impaled one draugr, who was flanking Gorr. He whirled around and nodded thankfully before bashing another draugr's head in. Now Gorr and Lio were back-to-back, fighting off the undead surrounding them. Most were weak, their armour already ripped to bits and weapons to halves. Together they fought off the beings, escaping the fight with minor injuries.

Lio crouched down to the elf. He had already drawn his last breath and was lying in a puddle of his own blood, a grimace twisting his face. She pulled the golden claw, engraved with symbols in its paw, from his frozen grasp.

"I'm taking _this _back," she said and put the claw into her own bag. She was about to turn when she noticed something else peculiar on the dead body. A leather-bound diary was stuffed half-way into a crevice in his armour. She took it.

It was full of random ramblings, written in hectic handwriting. Turning to the last page, it read:

"_My fingers are trembling. The golden claw is finally in my hands, and with it, the power of the ancient Nordic heroes. That fool Lucan Valerius had no idea that his favorite store decoration was actually the key to Bleak Falls Barrow. Now I just need to get to the Hall of Stories and unlock the door. The legend says there is a test that the Nords put in place to keep the unworthy away, but that "When you have the golden claw, the solution is in the palm of your hands"."_

She laid the diary back next to the elf.

"I got it," she said and Gorr led them forward with a nod. A tunnel was ahead. Something seemed wrong with it, though.

"_Stop_!" Lio yelled and Gorr stopped mid-step. He looked back at her with a confused line between his brows.

"Do _not_ take a single step forward," she said, examining the floor in front of Gorr.

He turned his attention to the floor now. There was a small circular pressure plate in front of him, a lighter colour of stone than the rest of the floor. Against a wall next to it was a wooden wall covered in spikes.

"I'm guessing you step on it and you're impaled by all those," Gorr said, pointing at the spikes.

"Interesting," Lio said. Then a clever smile appeared on her face.

"Step back," she said and Gorr, with little surprise, backed away into a safe distance.

"Don't waste too much time, I'm getting hungry," he mumbled and Lio grinned. After a deep inhale she jumped, smiling like a maniac, on the plate. A loud metallic crank echoed through the tunnel and the wall started moving towards her fast, the spikes gleaming in the fire light. Before she could be made into minced meat, she rolled from the wall's path, sacrificing the armour covering her shoulder. The wall slowly retreated back into its previous position, all the while screeching grimly.

Lio gleamed victoriously at Gorr, gripping her shoulder as nonchalantly as possible.

"Impressive. You avoided suicide by an inch," he said, a slight sarcastic tone to his voice. Lio looked at him, mock-annoyed.

"Let's go, my horker stew is waiting," Gorr said with a grin and led them forward.

The further they went, the more there were graves. Draugr rose to their feet and took their weapons. Gorr and Lio went back-to-back again and took them out one by one. The undead were weak, almost nothing when compared to the bandits before. They had no wit and no cooperation and it made them as vulnerable as the skeevers who had attacked them before. Only their looks would create fear in their enemies.

The Redguard and Breton were already walking down a set of stairs. A sound echoed from the tunnel before them, like swords slashing through air repeatedly and in a constant rhythm.

"People get tired of hearing it, but in the Arena you take one battle at a time. Same goes for ruins like this. Too big to think too far ahead," Gorr was idly saying behind Lio. He was picking the spider webs off of his hammer. Lio stopped before him and he raised his gaze to her.

The tunnel before them was a lot smaller and was the origin of the sound. Rows of scythes were falling left and right through-out the tunnel one by one, making it almost impossible to pass through without losing at least a limb. There wasn't a break between their swings and the only way to make it through was to run at the perfect moment.

"We should find another way. I don't think one can make it through that," Gorr mumbled, but Lio threw him a crafty smile.

"Just watch me, Gladiator."

Just after the first scythe swung and retreated back into a wall, Lio started. She ran on a single breath, watching scythes fall and retreat perfectly before her, and before she knew she ran into the wall at the other end of the tunnel, gasping for air. Gorr, narrow-eyed and smiling manically, stood still on the other end. Lio pulled down a lever, half expecting a trap, and the scythes disappeared into the walls. Gorr caught up with Lio and they continued through the tunnels, excited grins plastered on their faces.

They passed through many tomb-type mazes of chambers. Sometimes draugrs stepped down from alcoves or broke out of their graves, but Gorr took down most of them quickly while Lio was up ahead already. They happened by a draugr wielding magic. Lio hadn't seen an undead woman before; she had long grey hair and barely recognizable feminine features, which didn't make her look any more humane. This draugr seemed to be a bit wittier than most and shot ice at Lio when she tried to turn the corner, but the human proved smarter and faster. Once the draugr paused, Lio jumped and sliced her feet from below her, while Gorr made short work of her draugr ahead were fearless, but witless, and opposed no danger.

They passed through a huge cave system filled with glowing mushrooms and creeks. From chests they uncovered more coins, jewels and scrolls. One part of the caves had been filled with snow as there was no ceiling and the darkening skies loomed above them, reminding them to move fast. Lio had run through another scythe tunnel and a scythe cut straight through the back of her thigh, but the cut was fixed by a bottle of healing, along with the wound in her shoulder. Drinking so many potions made her head swim, but it was a nice, soothing feeling, as opposed to the usual dizziness she got from battling.

A set of large doors opened to a long chamber, which Lio could only assume was the aforementioned Hall of Stories. The walls were craved in eroded pictures of dragons and humans. They told a story Lio couldn't decipher. At the end of the room was a circular stone door and in the middle of it was a circle with three small holes in it. Above it was a circle with a bear symbol craved in it, above that was a symbol with an owl, and above the owl a symbol of a moth.

By that time all Gorr had gotten from the fights was a slight concussion and Lio had some cuts in her thighs and arms. She only had two more potions and decided to keep them for later. Instead she took the moment of quiet to tie up her wounds with pieces from Gorr's and her own shirts. Then a short moment later, Lio took out the claw and matched the three talons into the three holes – they fit perfectly. So this was the puzzle the elf had been talking about.

"Maybe we should go back now? We have the claw," Lio asked. Gorr's look was blank.

"But we already came this far. Let's finish this, what say you?" Gorr answered.

Clearly she should have turned back. There was no reason for her to go forward and risk everything.

"Alright. Till the end," she said, regretting her decision then, but deciding that she had to see things to their end.

""The solution is in the palms of your hands", huh?" she mumbled and stared at the carved door before her. Gorr sat down behind her and idly stared at the stories embedded in the walls. He was sitting this one out.

Lio smoothed over the gold in her hands. Her other hand reached out to the three circles above the main one in the bottom. She pressed on the owl and the door made a hard sound, like the moving of a grindstone in a mill. The owl started to move down in a circle, and it was replaced by a symbol of a moth.

"So that's how this works…" the Breton mumbled and looked down at her hands.

"In the palms of my hands, hmm? The ancient Nords must have been incredibly stupid," she said and the corner of her mouth pulsed as she turned the claw around, finding the symbols there. She pressed the circles on the door until the symbols were in the same order as the ones on the claw – bear, moth, and owl. She fit the claw's talons into the three holes and pushed it in. The door groaned loudly, the symbols all turned to owls, and slowly the entire stone door slid down into the ground.

Gorr got up and, with a new surge of adrenaline, they stepped into the cave before them. It was even larger than the ones before. Streams of moon light came in from the ceiling and painted stone and waterfalls silver. Bridges and platforms led up high to a wall embedded in a weird language. Stony creeks were flowing beneath the bridges, glittering in the light from above. Bowls of fire lighted the platform in front of the wall and Lio noticed a tomb and a bronze chest near it.

"By the Arena…" Gorr exclaimed and Lio nodded. The cave was beautiful and glittering, grand in its size.

By the time they were nearing the main platform, an almost magnetic pull reached Lio. It felt like something natural calling out to her, it felt like swimming towards air from the bottom of the sea. This pull felt old, ancient, and it lit up the veins under her skin, made her dizzy the closer she got to its origin – the wall. Three shapes in the wall stood out and their meaning almost seemed to materialize in Lio's mind. They bathed in a soft blue glow and her steps automatically brought her closer to them. The rest of the world faded into background noise as the only sounds she could hear were the soft blow of wind and familiar chanting echoing from somewhere far away. Finally, when she stopped before the carvings, she knew what they meant. She felt their meaning in her bones and in her flesh. It was a force, unrelenting and unforgiving, growing in her chest.

A loud crack behind her pulled her from her trance. Lio frowned and looked at the letters, but they had lost their pull. She turned and saw, with a sharp inhale, a draugr climbing out of the now broken tomb. It was different than the others. This undead's armour was of a dark metal that Lio now knew – ebony. Gorr struck the draugr before it could even lift its other leg over the edge of the tomb, but it got back up, as if nothing happened. The draugr grabbed for a long two-bearded axe, the lights in its eye sockets burning into Lio's. It inhaled, but before anything could happen, Lio let the power growing in her body go, she let her instincts take complete control.

"_Fus_."

Her voice burst out as pure strength, as a strong current of wind that made the draugr step back and lean down to support itself. Gorr almost dropped his hammer and stared at what was happening, his shocked face looking as if he was seeing the eruption of the Red Mountain.

Lio pulled out her swords now and charged at the draugr, completely unaware of what she was doing and moving entirely on instinct. She kicked it in the stomach and brought her sword down at it from above, but the being blocked it with the heavy handle of its axe. Instinctively she raised her other sword, all the while maintaining her force on the one above, and sliced into the draugr's unguarded side. It tripped and almost fell off the platform, but got up, inhaling sharply again. Before the draugr could continue, it was again cut off by Lio, who had jumped and, with her full force, brought down her elbow in its face. Unfazed, it blocked her continuous array of attacks and brushed her away. She tripped and tried to roll away, but a crushing pain hit her in her back, dislodging something and forcing the wind out of her. The sound of metals crashing ringed in Lio's ears as she desperately gasped for air. She felt the now bent ebony in her armor prodding her in the back, allowing little movement.

The shadow of Gorr flashed over Lio and she saw his hazy figure fall to the ground next to her. Using the moment of distraction, Lio rolled over, gasping in pain, and kicked the draugr's feet from under it. It fell, but swung at her even from its bad position. Lio rolled away from the undead, but it got up and followed. She tried the same trick again, but it jumped over her legs this time, clearly showing its dominance in thought and strength over the draugrs before. She stared up at its face, surprised, and its grey skull seemed to be grinning at her with its tilted jaw bone. Then, at her moment of desperation, just as the draugr attacked, her instincts kicked back in and forced her body to get up and, while evading the sharp turn of its axe, plunged a blade through its neck. The axe fell with a clang loud enough to overshadow the sound of the water flowing in the cavern. The draugr's head rolled off the platform.

Lio fell to her knees. Gorr, who was holding onto his bleeding head, now got to his feet and ran to the Breton. She was dazed and looked at him through half open lids.

"What did you _do_, my fair maiden?" he asked and put his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"No, not maiden. You are a _warrior_, my friend," he mumbled. Lio looked at him, the expression on her face clearly telling she wasn't listening to him. She was far away somewhere in her head, probably trying as hard as Gorr to process what just had come to pass.

Gorr's arm was around Lio as they stepped out into the open. Clear air helped Lio empty her clouded mind and she jerked her head up from his shoulder, as if she had just awoken. She blinked and looked at Skyrim unfolding before them.

"Are we out already?" she asked, her voice groggy. He nodded.

"What about loot?" she asked and stood up by herself. Immense pain in her back kicked in and Gorr's hand swiftly reappeared to support her. He showed the contents of a bag to her with his free hand.

There was a sword, the type some of the draugr had been carrying, that shone with a soft blue glow. Lio reached and touched it – a sharp sensation of ice pierced the tips of her fingers.

"What's this?" she asked and jerked her hand back.

"An enchanted sword. And here's a stone that was on that draugr overlord," he said and passed it to Lio. In the front were carvings of what looked like a dragon and lots of lines and spots that made no sense. On the other side was the same language that was carved into the wall. She tried to concentrate on the characters, but nothing shone out like before.

She put it back. There was also some gold, another scroll and some healing potions.

"Can I take one?" she asked and pointed at a potion.

"This is all yours," he said and nodded. Lio stared at him wide-eyed.

"Why?"

"Because I'm following _you_¸not you me," Gorr said with a smile. He closed the bag and tied it around his belt.

"I wanted to ask before already… Why were you following me _that _far? It was risky and pointless. A few jewels and a bit of gold isn't that great of a prize."

He looked away. It was dark and Riverwood was shining through the forest, calling to Lio. He sighed.

"Because you are a good, strong person to follow. My gut tells me that you're going places and I always trust my gut."

Lio blinked at him. Never had she thought of herself as strong. And obviously, neither had anyone else before Gorr. She wanted to argue, but didn't have the strength in her for it. She emptied a bottle of healing, but it wasn't nearly enough. What had happened had drained her physical _and _mental power completely.

"Alright. Sure... I need some help anyways," she sighed eventually, grasping for another potion.

He laughed his hearty laugh and it echoed across the tips of the trees above them. Lio passed the half empty bottle to Gorr and he swallowed the contents.

"I need some rest. Riverwood," she exhaled and they started down the rocks of the mountain towards the village far down below.

"By the way, what was that magic you did back then against that overlord? I've never seen anyone use yelling as a weapon before, not even in the Arena, and I can say that I've seen my fair share of fighting in my life."

Lio shrugged.

"That pull, that ancient magic then… You didn't feel it?"

"Nothing."

Lio shrugged again. She was too tired to talk or think anymore.


End file.
